


Tell Stiles To Come Too

by ScilesMcCallinski



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allison Argent & Lydia Martin Friendship, Allison Argent & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Asshole Jackson, But also, Danny Knows, Emotionally Hurt Stiles Stilinski, Episode: s01e03 Pack Mentality, Everyone's just jealous okay?, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Stiles Stilinski, Jealous Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Jealous Stiles, M/M, Matchmaker Allison Argent, Minor Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Minor Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore, Mutual Pining, Please Kill Me, Stiles Stilinski Is Bad at Feelings, because he's an idiot and shouldn't be allowed to bowl, because we obviously need both, but it's okay cause it's s1, but not what you think he knows ;), clearly things did not go as planned, i planned for it to be short and maybe 5k words at most, kind of in a way, sort of kind of just a little, to be honest this took me way too long to finish, we expected nothing else from him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-14 20:10:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15396477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScilesMcCallinski/pseuds/ScilesMcCallinski
Summary: Stiles is in love with Scott. He's surprisingly good at hiding that little fact. His jealousy, on the other hand - not so good. Especially not when he agreed to go bowling with Scott, Allison, Danny, Jackson, and Lydia. A terrible mistake on his part, really. But as the night progresses, it turns out, he's not the only one who's jealous, and two people from their group decide to try and become matchmakers. It's a recipe for disaster, really.





	Tell Stiles To Come Too

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so, this took me way too long to finish writing - like two weeks, seriously, I hate myself - and in all honesty, I blame Teen Wolf for this (obviously) because I was rewatching S1 and bam! This idea came into my head. I'm going to go and never write anything again now because I just have no energy left in me after this, bye! - Rhiannon x

"You know, I don't see why I'm getting dragged into this," Stiles says as he walks beside Scott, the doors of the school swinging shut behind them as they head towards the parking lot. "You and everyone else would have a lot more fun without me there. I'll just bring the mood down, you know?"

Scott sends him a look, his head tilting slightly while a small smile tugs at his lips. 

Stiles rolls his eyes, lips parting as he tries to think up another excuse. "Come on, dude, do you really even want me there?" he asks. "I mean... I can't even bowl!"

For a second, he's hoping that's it. He's won and Scott will tell him he doesn't need to come along on this stupid "group hang" thing both himself and Danny managed to get themselves dragged into.

"Stiles, you're a great bowler," Scott points out. "Way better than me, that's for sure."

"All the more reason for me not to go!" Scott raises his eyebrows and he says, "Think about it; if I'm not there, then you can impress Allison with your mediocre bowling skills. But if I am there, then she'll see how terrible you really are." 

Scott stops, having reached his bike. He just stands there, not getting on it yet as he keeps his eyes fixed on Stiles with that look on his face. The one that Stiles never seems able to say no to. 

"Besides, isn't this supposed to be like a double date for you guys?" 

Scott pauses then sighs, nodding a little. "Yeah, sort of. But it's not. It's just... a group thing. We're all gonna hang out as friends. Including you," he adds pointedly.

Stiles rolls his eyes and he really wants to argue. But he knows he's going to give in eventually.

He tries to wait for as long as possible, not saying a word as he avoids Scott's puppy-dog eyes that he seriously thinks should be deemed illegal with how persuading they are. But within five seconds, he's sighing and throwing his hands up. 

"Alright, fine." He looks at Scott and points a finger at him as he tries to ignore the bright grin on his face that's practically radiating joy. "But you owe me! And I mean big time." 

Scott just nods, finally seating himself on his bike as he grabs his helmet. "Totally. Thank you so much, dude. Seriously." 

"Yeah, yeah, just remember I hate you for this."

A few seconds later and Scott's driving off until he's out of sight and Stiles is left standing next to his jeep, thankfully having parked it in the spot next to Scott's bike. He closes his eyes and leans back against it, hitting his head with a quiet groan.

He's an idiot. How did he let himself get dragged into this mess? It's going to be a complete disaster, and there is nothing he can do about it. He already agreed to go and now he's going to have to force himself to sit in a freaking bowling alley for two hours and pretend he isn't at all bothered by basically being a fifth wheel. Along with Danny, of course, who seemed just as reluctant to join them as Stiles was when asked.

But still - that's two people who hate him, two who tolerate him, and his best friend, who is going to be too busy focusing on impressing his almost-girlfriend to even give Stiles a second thought. Oh yeah, this is going to be _great._

"You know you're screwed, right?" 

Stiles opens his eyes to look at Danny, standing next to him and staring at him with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, really? I wasn't aware," he says, every word dripping with sarcasm. 

Danny just rolls his eyes. "How are you planning on pulling this off exactly?" Stiles narrows his eyes at him and he adds, "You know, keeping up this whole act of yours? You do realise that you're going to have to sit there and watch the two of them being all coupley and in love, right? Even I can barely stand it." 

Oh, Stiles is very much aware of that. It's one of the first things he thought about as soon as Scott asked him to come with them tonight, and everyone just looked at him expectantly. It's pretty much the only thing he can think about. 

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do know that," he says as adjusts the strap of his bag on his shoulder. "And it's fine."

He really doesn't blame Danny for the skeptical look he sends him. Even Stiles doesn't believe himself. 

"We'll see," is all Danny says, accompanied by a slight quirk of his lips as he walks away. 

Stiles sighs and gets in his jeep. He knows that Danny is right. He is absolutely screwed, and he really has no idea how the hell he's going to get through this without slipping up at least once. It's not the same when they're at school - he doesn't have to see them together all the time except for at lunch and the one or two classes they all have together. 

But this is just going to be two hours off unfiltered PDA, flirting, and him trying not to let his bitterness and jealousy show. Which seems to be something he isn't all that good at considering Danny figured it out in a day.  

He groans and hits his head on the steering wheel. Then he starts the engine up and backs out, driving out of the school parking lot while still thinking about much of a disaster this is going to be.

\------------------------------

"Yes!" Allison cheers, hands in the air and a bright grin on her face as the bowling ball smoothly knocks down every single pin in one go. For the third time in a row.

She turns around to face them and moves back to her seat next to Scott as he matches her grin. His pride is written all over his face as he wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her in slightly to press a quick kiss to her cheek. 

"That was amazing," he says, still grinning.

Stiles looks away, forcing himself not to roll his eyes. He just slumps down in his seat and instead focuses on Lydia and Jackson, sitting across from the rest of them and clearly having some sort of silent argument through only their eyes. He will never understand their relationship - and honestly, trying to only leaves him more confused. 

His eyes drift back to Scott and Allison as Scott gets up and moves over to the lanes, grabbing a ball on the way. It's obvious how nervous he is by how long he hesitates for. Which is pretty understandable considering his last few turns haven't exactly gone very well, and resulted in Jackson and Lydia laughing their asses off. 

Before Jackson can start up his usual snarky remarks about how long Scott's taking, Allison stands and joins him. Stiles just watches as she leans in, whispering something to him. 

"You're the least subtle person I've ever met," Danny says quietly. "I mean, you are literally staring at them like you're hoping it'll make them burst into flames or something." 

Stiles turns his head to glare at him. "Thank you for that incredibly helpful observation." 

"I'm just saying." Danny shrugs. "All you're doing is torturing yourself." 

Stiles rolls his eyes. "I'm fully aware of that, thank you. I've been doing it for the past six years, so I'm fairly familiar with what I'm doing. It's just..." 

His gaze gets dragged back to Allison as she returns to her seat, a sort of smug look on her face. Then seconds later Scott knocks down every single pin in one go.

Stiles' eyes widen a little because not once, in all of the many times he and Scott went bowling when they were younger, did he ever manage to do that. At least, not without help from either those stupid bumpers or Stiles encouraging him. 

It really shouldn't bother him so much that Allison was the one who helped him - after all, it's just a stupid game. It's not like she's replacing him or anything. Just because she and Scott really like each other doesn't mean that anything is going to change. 

"Just what?" Danny asks, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Before Stiles can answer, Jackson cuts in. "Danny, it's your turn." 

He sighs but gets up anyway, moving over to grab one of the bowling balls. He gets into position, aiming the ball. Stiles watches as it rolls down the lane, only to curve at the last second and only hit three pins.

"Wow, you are pretty bad at this, dude," Stiles comments as he looks up at him. "I was so sure that you were amazing. Didn't you come to my seventh birthday party and win every single round?" 

Danny laughs. "Yeah, I did. When we were seven. I haven't gone bowling since then." 

"Yeah, clearly," Stiles jokes.

"Like you're any better," Danny shoots back as Stiles gets up, knowing it's his turn. "I'm pretty sure I remember you dropping the ball at least four times at your birthday party - once on my foot, and another on Scott's." 

"He's not wrong," Scott points out with a grin. 

Stiles rolls his eyes and scoffs as he grabs a ball. As soon as he lifts it up, so sure he's got a good grip on it, it nearly slips out of his hand, bending his fingers into an awkward and very painful position. He curses and quickly uses his other hand to fix it, slipping his fingers out and holding it normally instead.

He glances at Danny and Scott, both sending him pointed looks, clearly amused. He finds himself once again rolling his eyes as he stretches his fingers, only feeling a slight pain.

"It's not my fault these things are ridiculously heavy," he says as he tries to shake the pain away to take his turn. "Bowling is not a safe game. I really don't get how kids are allowed to play it."

"Yeah, you're right," Danny agrees. A smirk slides onto his face as he adds, "Guess that means I should take that off you then. After all, they're not safe for kids." 

Stiles glares at him but there's no sting to it as he pretends to be offended. "Now that's just rude. We all know that if anyone here is a child, it's Jackson. I mean, come on." He turns and gestures at him with the hand holding the ball. "Have you seen his face? He looks like a newborn baby. One with a weirdly amazing jawline, but still a baby." 

"Can you just throw the goddamn thing already?" Jackson says, irritated. 

It only gets better when it becomes obvious that Scott and Allison are having to force themselves to hold back their laughter, while Lydia discreetly hides a smile behind her hand.

Danny's just straight up grinning, not a care in the world, knowing that his best friend will forgive him later anyway. 

"Okay, okay, jeez," Stiles says, holding up a hand. "No need to be so snappy."

"I think it's past his bedtime," Danny chimes in. 

"Seriously?" Jackson asks in disbelief, shaking his head. 

"Hey, don't blame me," Danny says. He glances at Stiles and flashes him a grin as he catches his eye. "You dragged me along on this thing. I'm just bonding with my date. Isn't that the whole point of this?" 

Stiles nearly chokes on air but quickly recovers. He just raises his eyebrows at Danny, who winks in response, a sly smirk on his lips.

It's not exactly weird to him that he's officially been called Danny's date, or that it was by Danny himself. After all, this is just how they work. And in a way, he technically is his date. 

Jackson rolls his eyes at him but he doesn't try to argue, knowing that Danny's right. As soon as Lydia said they were going to hang out as a group, he invited Danny along to join them, eyes a little too wide like he was hoping he would give them both an excuse to get out of it. 

And then, of course, Scott decided to drag Stiles into it by asking if he has any plans while fully knowing that he didn't and was being put on the spot, giving him no other choice but to say yes. Although it wasn't entirely Scott's fault - Allison did jump in and agree that it would be a great idea and that it would be fun. 

Which is probably why she keeps trying to get him to join in on their conversations. It must be obvious how little fun he's really having. 

Except for right now. Danny helping him wind Jackson up is actually kind of hilarious, and is doing a pretty good job of distracting him from Scott and Allison cuddled up together in their seats, looking like one of those sickeningly adorable couples. At least, it was.

He tries not to think about them as he rolls the ball with his right hand, the pain in his fingers pretty much gone already. It's possible he throws it a little harder than necessary, and yet somehow still manages to knock down every pin. His jealousy might have had something to do with that.

Danny raises an eyebrow at him as he moves to return to his seat, half-impressed, half-knowing. Guess Stiles isn't so subtle about his feelings after all. Or maybe Danny's just really good at figuring these types of things out. 

"See? I told you," Scott says, and Stiles looks over at him to find him talking to Allison. He glances up, catching his eye as he says, "He's great at this."

"Great?" Allison scoffs, those little dimples appearing in her cheeks as she turns to face Stiles, now sitting on the tiny couch-thing next to her. "You were amazing. I thought you said you haven't been bowling since you were seven?" 

Stiles shrugs, unable to stop himself from returning her grin. "Oh, I lied. I've secretly been practising every day after school just so that when this moment came, I could amaze everyone with my skills, and once again become the bowling champion."

Allison quickly catches on to his sarcasm and laughs while playing along. "Right, yeah. Of course. Totally should have figured that out." 

It's Lydia's turn next. After some very obvious, extremely irritating flirting with Scott as she asks for help from him, she ends up making a perfect shot. One that doesn't surprise anyone except for possibly Jackson. Everyone else knows that she doesn't suck as much as she pretends she does - and Allison makes a point of telling her. 

After that, things get a little less awkward and weird, and a little more fun. Lydia sort of stops pretending she has no idea what she's doing and is actually pretty damn good at bowling. She still doesn't drop the act entirely, of course.

Jackson just gets more annoyed, which obviously results in Stiles and Danny making jokes about it, and Scott and Allison joining in.

Things aren't actually going so bad.

\--------------------------------------

The ball rolls smoothly down the lane, going straight down the middle and knocking into each and every pin. Stiles throws his arms up, flings his head back and cheers. That was the last round, and somehow, he and Danny managed to get themselves in the lead. And now they've just won the entire game. 

"Yes! We freaking did it!" Stiles shouts, grabbing Danny's arms and shaking him a little too wildly. "Oh my god, we won! Can you believe that?" He whips around, glancing at Jackson, who looks like he might actually be considering what he said earlier and stabbing himself in the face with a fork. "I actually just beat Jackson Whittemore at something. Holy-" 

"Alright, alright, calm down," Danny laughs, stopping him from bouncing up and down. "Before you get yourself knocked out with a bowling ball." 

Stiles rolls his eyes but does force himself to stop. He can tell by the sour look on Jackson's face that having a bowling ball thrown at him isn't out of the realm of possibilities, and honestly, he kinda feels like that might bring his mood down a little. And considering this is the best he's felt all night, he doesn't really want that. 

As he turns back around to face Danny, he feels someone touch his shoulder.

"Congrats, dude!" Scott says, a bright smile on his face, and Stiles' heart melts a little at how genuinely proud it is. "Although, I can't really say I'm surprised." 

Stiles grins at him and shrugs, noting that Scott's hand stays on his shoulder. "What can I say? It's just natural talent." He looks at Danny. "Plus, it helps that my partner doesn't entirely suck. At least not at this, anyway," he adds with a wink, a smirk tugging at his lips. 

Danny scoffs and rolls his eyes but is unable to hide his amusement as he shakes his head at him. "You're unbelievable." 

"Yeah, unbelievably awesome." 

"If I have to sit here and listen to you two keep flirting with each other," Jackson says, getting to his feet, "then can someone drop one of those balls on my head? Actually, how about I throw them at you two instead? Better yet, what if I were to just use you both as the bowling balls? How does that sound?" 

"Oh, lighten up a little," Lydia finally snaps.

She appears just as surprised as the rest of them. It's not like she never stands up to Jackson - she's definitely not scared of him. She'll gladly tell him if he's being an idiot. But she's never exactly jumped in to defend someone else from him quite like that. Especially not when that someone is Danny or Stiles.

She blinks then quickly composes herself again and stands up as well, looking at Allison instead of Jackson. "I'm kinda thirsty. Come help me get some drinks?" 

"Actually, I can do that," Danny chimes in as Allison opens her mouth to respond. 

Neither Lydia nor Allison complain, and simply give him their orders, along with the rest of them. Except for Stiles. When Danny asks him if he wants anything, he waves him off and pushes him towards the back of the room, where a few people are sitting on stools, or leaning against the counter, taking a break before their next game starts. 

He somehow manages to brush off the knowing look Danny's sending him as he follows him over. Right up until the guy's grabbing all of their drinks and Danny leans back against the counter, pretending to be all casual as he looks at Stiles. That's somehow enough to crack him.

"You know," he starts, already having a bunch of excuses prepared in case Danny decides to try and point anything out, "you really are in no position to judge me for lying to Scott. Or for agreeing to come along on this stupid thing, despite absolutely knowing that I would be forcing myself to watch him and Allison be all happy and in love with each other, while I wallow in jealousy and self-pity." 

Danny just stares at him and lifts an eyebrow. His eyes dart over to their friends, then he shrugs and turns his gaze back to Stiles. "I'm not judging you, dude. I'm doing the exact same thing after all. But at least I'm not trying to make the bowling ball go through the floor." 

Stiles deflates, forgetting every single one of his arguments as he grimaces. "Was it really that bad?" 

"It looks like I was the only one who noticed," he says. "So, I think you're safe." 

It's obvious he's trying to assure Stiles that Scott hasn't picked up on his odd behaviour, which is definitely a relief. Then the rest of what he said finally catches up in his head and his eyebrows furrow in confusion. 

"Wait, you're doing the same thing? What, do you like Jackson?" He jokes, turning away from Danny as the rest of their drinks and a plate of fries are set down in front of them. 

He goes to reach for the cans when he becomes aware of the fact that Danny isn't saying anything. He's pretty sure he gives himself whiplash with how fast he turns his head to look at him, his eyes wide. 

"You like Jackson?" He practically shouts, his voice far louder than he intended. 

Danny sends him a disbelieving look, his eyes darting over to make sure none of their friends heard him. Thankfully, they all seem to be rather occupied. He relaxes and Stiles sends him a sheepish smile as he turns back to him.

"Yeah, I do. And I would appreciate it if you didn't let the entire population of Beacon Hills know too," he says. Then he pauses, sending Stiles a strange look. "You really didn't know?" 

Stiles squints at him, mouth hanging open. "Of course I didn't know that!" he quietly hisses, remembering to keep his voice down this time. "Do I look like someone who knew you liked Jackson? How would I possibly have known that?! Am I just psychic all of a sudden? Or telepathic?" 

Danny rolls his eyes at him but shrugs. "I don't know. Anything's possible in this town. For all I know you _could_ be psychic." 

It's obviously a joke but still, Stiles tenses. What does he mean by anything's possible in this town? He can't know about... well, any of it. No, he doesn't He would have said something if he knew about Scott being a werewolf - or just werewolves in general, really. That's not exactly something you keep quiet. Unless you're trying to protest your best friend from hunters.

"Besides," Danny says, that teasing smirk sliding back onto his face, "I thought that you of all people would be able to tell when someone has feelings for their best friend. You know, what with your experience in that particular subject." 

"Oh, shut up," Stiles says, his lips quirking up at the corners. "And stop changing the subject. You have a thing for Jackson freaking Whittemore." 

"Yeah, and you're in love with Scott," he shoots back as he turns to the counter to take two of the cans and the only glass, which, of course, is for Lydia. 

"That's completely different!" Stiles protests. "He's... I mean.. Come on, he's Scott! How could anyone not fall in love with him?" 

Danny shrugs again as he points out, "I'm not in love with him." 

Stiles scoffs. "Yeah, but that's because you like Jackson. Anyone who can see something in him other than his unfairly good-looking face is crazy." He pauses, unable to help himself. "Seriously? _Jackson?_ " 

Danny rolls his eyes at him once more, a grin tugging at his lips. "Shut up and help me take these," he says, gesturing with his head to the rest of the cans. 

Stiles pretends to complain and huff as he grabs the three remaining cans and the plate of fries he just had to order as he refrains from grinning. He loses in the end as the head back over to their friends and Danny quietly suggests that since Scott and Jackson are unavailable, they should just date each other instead.

He grins and has to fight back a laugh as Danny continues, grinning widely. He ends up laughing when Stiles nearly drops the plate, their previous conversation already pushed to the back of his mind. 

They reach their friends and everyone takes their drinks, and Stiles flops back down in his seat beside Scott and Allison. 

It's weird, and he might just be imagining it, but he's pretty sure that Scott's no longer smiling as brightly as he had been before. And his eyes darting over to Danny then to Stiles every few seconds is probably just his imagination as well. He's not going to let himself think anything of it when it's most likely nothing. He just focuses on the conversation Allison and Lydia are having about something he does not understand one bit of. 

\--------------------------------------

A few seconds after Stiles and Danny head over to get them all drinks, Scott turns back to Allison, a small smile on his lips. She looks up, meeting his gaze as she returns his smile and nods her head at their seats. 

Scott gets the message and moves to sit down. He waits until she's next to him again before glancing over at Lydia and Jackson. He must grimace slightly as she laughs quietly. 

"They're not that bad," she tells him. He doesn't bother to hide his disbelief and she rolls her eyes but doesn't really try to argue. "They're just... interesting. Sort of hard to figure out, I guess." 

"That's one way of putting it," Scott mutters. 

She raises her eyebrows as she shakes her head at him, but her smile never leaves her lips. "Maybe if you tried a little harder to get along with them, you could be..." she pauses, clearly doubting her own choice of words. "Friends?" 

Scott just looks at her and she nods, obviously knowing there's no chance of that ever happening. 

"Yeah, that didn't seem very likely, even in my head."

Scott just grins at her before his eyes wander back over to the two across from them. He's pretty sure he's never seen two people look so miserable in his life. It's not really like he has anything against either of them. Sure, Jackson's a bit of an ass most of the time - especially to him and Stiles. And Lydia can be... well, Lydia. But he doesn't really hate either of them.

It would probably help a lot more if Jackson wasn't currently trying to figure out what his "secret" is. And if he wasn't threatening to tell Allison what it is once he finds out. That doesn't exactly make Scott want to be best friends with him, especially considering it could get him and other people hurt. 

"I feel kinda bad," Allison speaks up, dragging Scott's attention back to her. His eyebrows furrow and she continues. "I was the one who told Stiles he should come with us, and I did tell you to invite him, but he doesn't seem like he's been having much fun."

Her gaze shifts from Scott as she turns her head and he follows her line of sight to Stiles and Danny, clearly in the middle of what appears to be a slightly heated conversation. It occurs to Scott that he could easily listen in - just for a second, to make sure everything's okay. But he knows he shouldn't. 

"Don't worry about it," he tells her, waving a hand in their direction. "I can guarantee you that he's enjoying himself. He and Danny did just beat Jackson and Lydia after all. And us, for that matter." 

Allison nods but doesn't take her eyes off the two of them. "Yeah, they do make a pretty good team." A brighter smile tugs at her lips as she asks, "How long have they been together?" 

It takes a second for Scott to fully process the question due to the surprise and confusion that instantly clouds his mind as he wonders what could possibly have given her the idea that Stiles and Danny, of all people, are _together_. But then she turns to look at him with curious eyes and he quickly shakes his head. 

"Oh, uh, they're not," he says. "Together - they're not together. At all." 

She tilts her head, her eyes narrowing slightly in clear disbelief, that little smile still pulling the corners of her lips upwards as she asks, "Really?" He nods but it doesn't seem to do anything to convince her. "They seem pretty together to me." 

Her gaze shifts away from him again and he follows it once more to Stiles and Danny. Their heated conversation must have ended just after they had looked away seeing as how Stiles is now much closer to Danny, eyes wide and mouth moving so fast that Scott just knows his words are coming out as a mess. Either that or they're still in the middle of it and Stiles is just very unaware of personal space.

He doesn't really get what Allison's talking about. They're always like this with each other - it's just how their friendship has worked since they were like ten. It's not flirting- 

Danny says something that Scott doesn't quite pick up on, still not wanting to use his newfound heightened hearing to eavesdrop. But whatever it is that he says, it makes Stiles raise his eyebrows and send him that bright little open-mouthed grin that makes Scott's heart beat that tiny bit faster.

A wave of feelings and emotions all hit him at once, coming crashing down and making it a little hard to breathe. For a second, he actually worries he's about to start having an asthma attack. But it doesn't quite feel the same. It's more like this twisting in his chest, and a sort of bubbling in his stomach. 

"You're probably right," Allison finally says as she shrugs. "You have known them longer than I have, after all. I guess I picked it up wrong. They just seemed kinda good together, don't you think?" 

Another twist. Scott pushes it all down, trying to ignore it as Allison turns back to him. She smiles sheepishly as she closes her eyes and shakes her head in embarrassment.

"Sorry, that was really awkward." She laughs. "Stiles is your best friend, of course you wouldn't want to answer something like that."

Scott just forces himself to laugh too, hoping she can't tell just how uncomfortable this conversation is making him. He just tells himself that she's right, and that the only reason he feels so weird talking about this is because Stiles is his best friend. That makes sense.

Even though he knows he's lying to himself.

They're both quiet after that. Scott can't help but glance over at Stiles and Danny again, doubts running through his mind. There's no way Allison could be right about them. Stiles tells him everything; he would know if he had a thing for Danny - or anyone that isn't Lydia for that matter. 

He only tears his gaze away from Stiles' grin when he feels someone watching him, burning a hole in the side of his face. Allison tilts her head slightly, her eyebrows furrowing when he meets her gaze for a split second then looks away again, not wanting her to catch on to the fact that the thought of Stiles and Danny together is bothering him this much.

Thankfully, she seems to drop it and shift the subject completely, starting up a new conversation. She ends up managing to drag both Lydia and Jackson into it as well, lessening the awkward tension that had been surrounding them. 

Scott joins in, and they continue to talk about lacrosse, school, and the weird vibe they all get off of Mr. Harris until Stiles and Danny return, drinks in hand, a plate on Stiles' arm and the both of them barely suppressing their laughter at something.

Stiles gives him and Allison their cans before taking his previous seat beside them, definitely looking a lot happier now than he did about half an hour ago. Scott can't help but wonder if that's because of Danny, who's standing with Jackson as he tells him no, he can't leave just yet. 

His feelings must show on his face, even for just a second, because Stiles sends him a questioning look, his eyebrows drawing together. He just shakes his head and forces a smile, pretending it's nothing. This night really has not gone the way he was expecting it to, but at least it's almost over. 

Then Lydia speaks up. "We should have another round." 

Scott's eyes snap to her, hoping that she's joking. But she just looks at them all, a half-smirk, half-smile on her lips as she crosses her arms as if daring any of them to challenge her or refuse. 

Stiles, being the brave one that he is, tries. "Yeah, you know, I don't really-" 

"Great!" she says, eyes sparkling as she ignores him and his mouth falling open. "But this time, I want a different partner. Allison?" She asks as she whips her head around to look at her, raising her eyebrows. 

It's obvious Allison doesn't actually really have a choice in the matter. Still, she pauses, thinking about it as she glances at Scott and silently apologizes. He just smiles and nods in understanding as she gets up to join her. He knows Lydia well enough by now to know that she gets what she wants, and what she wants is to not have to work with Jackson. Which means... 

"Wait, who the hell am I supposed to go with then?" Jackson questions. 

Lydia considers it for a second, her eyes drifting across all of them as she hums, clearly just trying to irritate him. Then she shrugs and answers, "Go with Danny." 

"Hey, wait a second," Stiles protests. "Danny's my partner!" 

Scott's stomach twists again. Such a simple sentence, and yet, it's enough to make him wish that of all the people Allison could have chosen to become best friends with, she hadn't chosen Lydia Martin.

"Well, now I'm not," Danny says. Scott doesn't miss the subtle little smirk he sends him. 

Stiles just glares at him then rolls his eyes. He turns to Scott and his whole body language completely changes. Normally, Scott wouldn't have really picked up on it, but it's got something to do with the whole heightened senses things. It's easier to notice things he would definitely have missed before. 

"It's cool," he says, shrugging as he rests a hand on Scott's shoulder. "That means Scott's my new partner, and everyone knows that no one can beat us. Isn't that right, Scotty?" He looks at him, raising his eyebrows a little and urging him to agree. 

Scott grins and nods, brushing off the slight jump of his own heartbeat. "Yeah. Totally unbeatable." 

Stiles grins back, lightly squeezing his shoulder for a second then pulling his hand away completely. Then he's setting aside his can of cola and the plate of fries that he surprisingly hasn't even touched yet, and gets to his feet. He rubs his hands together, a mischievous and slightly competitive glint in his eyes. 

"Time for round two then." 

\-------------------------------------

Despite what they said earlier, it's a surprise to everyone when Scott and Stiles end up in the lead. They joke around so much that they're likely to make the other laugh while taking their turn and end up rolling the ball the completely wrong way. And yet, they're winning. 

Of course, Stiles is gloating, and possibly showing off a little. But who can really blame him? This will be the second time he's beat Jackson at something, and he can't help but remind him of that. Scott, however, is content to just watch him each time he takes his turn, and then cheer with him when makes a perfect shot. He has to admit, switching teams was actually a pretty good idea. 

"I swear to god, if you don't just hurry up and roll the goddamn thing-"

Jackson doesn't get to finish his threat, cut off by Stiles, who waves his free hand at him, successfully shushing him. 

"Calm down, would you?" he says, a smirk tugging at his lips as he swings his arm a little. Scott's eyes follow the movement, slightly nervous that the ball's going to go flying out of his hand and hit someone or break something. Or both. 

Stiles pays no mind to it, enjoying himself too much to worry. But he does turn back to the lane, squinting at it as he tilts his head and hums thoughtfully. He's absolutely doing it just for the satisfaction of annoying Jackson, and judging by the exasperated groan that comes from behind him, it's working.

He continues to swing his arm back and forth as he takes a slight step back, getting into position. Then he makes a big mistake. Just as he goes to throw the ball, his fingers bend a little too far for the second time tonight, and he panics, thinking he's about to get them stuck. He jerks his wrist back to try and fix it, only for the weight of the ball to instead cause his wrist to bend the wrong way.

The movement is followed by a popping sensation, then a sharp pain ripping through his wrist as his skin burns up out of nowhere, making him feel like his entire right arm is on fire.

His fingers slide easily out of the ball now, the pain in them nothing compared to what he's feeling in his wrist. He can't bring himself to care that the ball drops to the floor with a loud thud, just barely missing his foot and rolling a little away.

"Holy mother of-" He cuts himself off as he reaches for his wrist, only to hiss when the contact sends another jolting pain shooting through it. "Wow that hurts."

He clamps his mouth shut in an effort to not to let out the long string of curses that are on the tip of his tongue as he squeezes his eyes shut. Scott's by his side in an instant, with Allison and Danny joining them a second later, concern written across all of their faces.

"Stiles? What happened?" Scott asks, panic in his voice. He goes to reach out to him then pauses, leaving his hands hovering as he rethinks it. "Are you okay?" 

"Did you hurt your wrist?" Allison asks, mainly for confirmation since it's pretty obvious that he did. 

He just gives a quick nod as he sucks in a deep breath. The pain isn't excruciating, but it's sure as hell annoying and making it difficult to think about anything else. 

"He probably just pulled a muscle," Jackson says, rolling his eyes, but there's a hint of doubt behind his flippant attitude. 

"You can't pull a muscle in your wrist," Lydia correct him. "He could have torn a tendon though, or more likely, sprained it. That's about as close to a pulled muscle as you can get. But considering the situation, it shouldn't be too serious." 

There's a pause as Jackson stares at her, his eyebrows furrowing. She brushes him off, keeping her eyes on the rest of them like she wants to join them, but chooses to stay seated. 

Stiles glances down at his wrist as he subtly tries to move it. It doesn't hurt as badly as before, but the pain's definitely still there. He's also pretty sure it's not supposed to be the particular shade of red that it currently is, nor is it still meant to feel like he's just thrust it into a bowl of lava. He's guessing Lydia's probably right; it's very likely he's sprained it. 

"Well, whatever type of injury it is," Danny says, "I'm pretty sure it's going to require a hospital." 

"I am not going to a hospital," Stiles argues. "It's not even that bad! Lydia's probably right, it's probably just a sprain or something equally as non-important, and does not require me going to a hospital." 

Allison and Danny both appear to be in disbelief, but Scott isn't even the slightest bit surprised. When he catches Stiles' eyes, his lips twitch up the tiniest bit into a small, understanding smile. He seems to be the only one who gets his hatred for hospitals. 

"Can you at least move your hand?" Scott asks, his eyes darting back and forth across Stiles' face, searching for an answer. "Like, how bad is it? Just so that we know if we're going to have to knock you out and force you to go to a hospital." 

Stiles grins, but it fades a little when he attempts to move his wrist again, already knowing what the result will be. He winces as the pain worsens and that's enough of an answer for Scott. 

"Okay, uh..." He pauses, trying to recall everything he's heard his mom talk about when it comes to injured wrists. "Ice. We need something cold - like, really cold." 

Allison's face lights up a little as she points to a spot near the front entrance. "I think I saw something about a first-aid kit when we came in. They might have an ice pack or something that could help." 

"I'll go check," Danny says. As he passes Stiles, he pauses and rests a hand on his shoulder for a second. "Try not to injure yourself even more while I'm away. Or else I will personally throw you into that stupid jeep of yours and drive you to the hospital myself." 

Stiles gapes at him but can't refrain from the grin that spreads across his face. "Oh, I'd like to see you try, buddy." 

"Don't tempt me. Because I can, and I will," Danny responds with an amused half-smirk. Then his hand drops off his shoulder and he continues walking, leaving Stiles shaking his head. 

He turns back to Scott and Allison and immediately notices that's something's changed. But what, he can't quite pinpoint. All he can tell is that Scott seems to have taken a particularly intent interest in the floor, while Allison's glancing at Scott like she knows something that he's trying to hide from her.

Stiles immediately assumes the worst. She's putting the pieces together and is realising he's a werewolf. He doesn't know how she would have figured it out but it's the only reasonable conclusion his mind can come up with right now.

Admittedly, it doesn't really explain why Scott's avoiding both of their eyes and frowning, but he's got nothing else. He's just hoping he's wrong, or this night could be about to take an even worse turn. 

"I'll be back in second. I'm just gonna go see if Danny's found anything," Scott mutters before quickly walking away, not giving any of them a chance to respond. 

Stiles' eyebrows furrow, his confusion only increasing as he watches him disappear. "Okay, that was weird." 

He looks at Allison and she nods in agreement. Her eyes stay focused on the spot Scott had been for a moment longer as she chews on her bottom lip as if thinking, or trying to work something out.

Both of them turn their attention to Jackson when he sighs, looking between the two of them with raised eyebrows. "Well?" he asks, gesturing at the bowling lanes. "Are we going to finish the game and get this over with, or am I going to be forced to sit here for another hour when I could be doing more important things?" 

"More important than spending time with your girlfriend?" Stiles shoots back, a tiny bit of irritation slipping through. He may not be in love with Lydia anymore, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care about how Jackson treats her. 

Jackson falters. His eyes dart to Lydia, who stares at him expectantly, knowing he's trapped. He just rolls his eyes, his jaw tightening. 

"Are we finishing the game or not?" he repeats. 

Allison shakes her head at him, crossing her arms over her chest. Stiles may not know her all that well - or at all, really - but he's guessing that she's the type of person who isn't afraid to get into an argument with Jackson. And as hilarious as that would be to watch, he's kind of in agreement with him when it comes to just hurrying up and getting this whole night over with so they can all leave and go home. 

As she opens her mouth to say something to him, Stiles quickly cuts in. "Yeah, uh," he turns to Lydia, "it's your turn, right?" 

Lydia blinks up at him, not saying anything. Then she nods and stands up, confusion flickering across her face for just a second before disappearing again as she makes her way over to get a ball. Stiles doesn't question it, brushing it off. He's a little surprised by Lydia actually acknowledging him without looking like she'd rather be somewhere else, but he's guessing Allison must have said something else to her about being nicer or something along those lines.

Wanting to sit down, he moves back over to his previous seat. He catches Jackson glancing at his hand as he passes him, and for just a second, he thinks he might actually see a hint of concern. But then his eyes are back on Lydia, pretending nothing happened. 

Stiles just ignores him and sits down, trying not to wince when he rests his hand on the table beside him. He's really managed to screw it up this time, hasn't he? Just as he and Scott were about to win as well. 

He rolls his eyes at himself. Of course that's what he's thinking about right now. There's a possibility he's sprained his wrist, and he's more upset about the fact that he might not beat Jackson at a stupid game - one that got him injured in the first place. Well, that and his own stupidity. 

As Lydia steps up to the lane, Allison takes a seat beside him, a soft, sort of nervous smile on her lips. 

"Hey, you okay?" she asks, sounding genuinely concerned about him.

It's a little surprising, if he's honest. She's barely known him for a couple of weeks, and even at that, she probably only knows his name because of Scott. And yet, here she is: sitting here, talking to him when she could easily be with Lydia or even Jackson, if she wanted to. 

His surprise must show on his face because she tilts her head, giving a one-shoulder shrug as her smile grows. 

"You just seemed kind of... unhappy, I guess," she explains. "But you did just get your hand nearly broken by a bowling ball, so, I think that's a reasonable way to feel." 

He can't refrain from grinning, even just a little. Her face instantly seems to light up at his reaction, and he's beginning to see a sort of resemblance between her and Scott. They both clearly have some sort of desire to make everyone around them happy. And he has to admit, it's kind of working.

"Yeah, that definitely brought my mood down a little," he jokes, shifting his wrist the tiniest bit as he glances down at it. "But it's not so bad." Allison raises her eyebrows. "I can use it to get out of doing work in the classes I don't like. Although, I just have to make sure Coach doesn't find out or else I'll have no chance of ever making first line this season." 

"Oh, yeah, Scott mentioned something about that," she says, nodding. "I can't remember exactly what he said, but I'm pretty sure it was something about how you and him have both been trying to get on first line for ages. Although, I'm still not entirely sure how lacrosse works, so, I'm not really sure what first line is," she adds, laughing. 

Stiles joins in, unable to resist. It's like her joy is contagious. It's annoyingly cute, just like Scott's puppy-dog eyes and his grin. _They really are suited perfectly for each other,_ he thinks with a sinking feeling. Still, he can't stop smiling when Allison flashes him a dimpled grin. 

Their laughter dies down after a few seconds, leaving them in a somewhat comfortable silence. Well, not silence. There's the loud tell-tale sign of pins being knocked down and the little barrier coming down to sweep them away. 

They both look over at Lydia as she strides back to her seat, sending Jackson a smug smirk as he gets up to take his turn. If Stiles just ruined his and Scott's chances of winning, at least maybe Lydia and Allison can beat Jackson. He just feels bad for Danny, but he knows he won't care. He's surprisingly not really the competitive type. 

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Allison asks suddenly, chewing on her bottom lip once again. Must be one of her nervous habits, Stiles notes. 

His heart begins to beat a little faster. This is it. She's going to ask about Scott being a werewolf. She knows, and she's about to ask Stiles in a very subtle but obvious way. How is he supposed to react? Like she's crazy? Like he has no idea what she's talking about? He can't tell her the truth, that's for sure. 

He forces a smile and shrugs. "Sure, go for it. Can't promise I'll answer though." He's only half-joking. 

She smiles back, laughing a little as she tucks a loose bit of hair behind her ear. "That's fair." She shifts her body to fully face him, hands resting in her lap. Her eyes seem to soften as she looks at him with a knowing glint in her eyes. He tries not to panic, preparing himself for the inevitable. 

Then she opens her mouth and asks, "You like him, don't you?" 

Stiles blinks. "What?" He quickly tries to pull himself out of his confusion, his eyebrows furrowing as he shakes his head. "I, uh - can we go back a second? I'm so lost. Who exactly are we talking about?" 

She breathes out a laugh as she runs a hand through her hair, ending up with her elbow resting on the top of the seat and her head leaning on her hand. "Yeah, sorry. I guess I'm just a bit nervous to ask you about this kind of thing. After all, we don't really know each other all that well, and I don't want to say anything that'll make you uncomfortable, or realise I'm imagining it all."

Stiles gives a small nod of his head, his confusion still present as he tries to figure out where this conversation is headed if she's so worried about it. She asked if he liked _him_. There's only like three guys she could be talking about. But that means- 

"Scott," she says, her voice suddenly quiet and gentler, like she doesn't want to say the wrong thing. "I was talking about Scott. You like him, don't you?" 

That feels like a trick question. Of course Stiles likes Scott. After all, he's his best friend, They've known each other since they were four. They've grown up together, they've gotten into trouble together, they've seen each other through every bad part of their lives. How could Stiles not like Scott when he's... well, Scott? 

He says almost exactly that to her. "Of course I like him. Sure, I insult him sometimes, and it probably seems like I don't because of a lot of my jokes, but I do. I mean, come on - it's Scott. You can't not like him. Besides, it would pretty strange if I didn't... You know, 'cause he's my best friend and all." 

Allison seems to take in his words, processing them at a rather slow rate as she nods. Honestly, it's a little unnerving and anxiety-inducing. He was sure he had been picking his words so carefully, making sure he didn't slip up at any point. But maybe he did, maybe he said something - just the tiniest detail - that gave it away. 

His pulse rises and brings his attention back to his wrist as the tolerable ache turns into a dull throbbing, making it harder to ignore. He glances around the room, checking for any sign of Scott and Danny. But they're still not back yet. Not that he minds having a lovely little bonding session with Allison, but where the hell are they and can they please hurry up and save him before he digs himself into an even bigger hole? 

"Yeah, you two seem pretty close," she says, forcing him to turn his eyes back to her as he swallows, praying that that's it. She's just going to drop it now. "But, uh..." Oh god. 

She shifts a little, her head tilting ever so slightly while that soft smile that's just so gentle and kind tugs at her lips. "That isn't really what I meant." 

Stiles ignores the panic and anxiety building inside him. "It's not?" he asks, feigning confusion. If that's not what she meant, then he is most definitely screwed. Unless the universe would be kind enough to give him sort of escape? He'll even take an argument with Jackson at this point. 

Unfortunately for him, Jackson's still pretty occupied with being annoyed that he's not winning and that he can't just leave because he drove Lydia here as well and knows that he can't just expect her to get a ride from someone else. He does look like he wishes that were an option, though.

"You like him, don't you?" Allison repeats, but then quickly adds, "Not just because he's your best friend. I might be wrong, and if I am, then I'll apologise. But I just want to be sure because if you do, I don't want to do anything that'll hurt you." 

"Wait," Stiles looks at her, seeing the complete sincerity on her face, "I... I don't understand. Are you saying that if I liked Scott, you would..." 

"I would stick to my plan," she finishes for him, her lips tugging up at the corners. "Focus on school. No boys until college. And it's not like Scott and I are actually together. We're just... seeing where things go. So, if you do like him, that's it. It won't bother me." She sighs. "Besides, it's likely that we'll end up moving again in a few months, so."

Stiles wishes he could like the sound of that. Sure, Scott and Allison not being together does sound pretty appealing. But Scott's happy. He likes her - maybe even loves her even though he barely knows her. Stiles knows he can't just sit here and be a part of the reason why they don't get together. Because even if Allison's right, and her and her family do end up moving, she and Scott can at least spend the next few months together, "seeing where things go."

He sighs and plasters on a grin. "Well, you'll be happy to hear that I don't like Scott. Not like that anyway. So, you two can continue to be sickeningly adorable. Might put a bit of a damper on that plan of yours, but I'm sure you'll work it out." 

Allison's smile slips, turning more sympathetic and understanding. "You know, a lot of people have this thing they do when they're lying. I call it a tell. Did you know that you have one?" 

He resists the urge to groan. She's apparently stubborn, it seems. 

"I actually did," he plays along, deciding he doesn't really have a better option. "Scott finds amusement in pointing it out as often as possible to remind me that I'm a terrible liar. Something I still don't think is true." He ignores the way Allison's smile widens. "But for you to be able to know what exactly my 'tell' is, that would imply that I've lied to you. And more than once for you to be able to be sure of what it is."

"It would, wouldn't it?" she asks, obviously a rhetorical question. "So, you know what it is then?" 

Stiles rolls his eyes but answers, "Yeah, but humour me. What do you think it is?" 

She grins like she had been hoping he would ask that. But just as she opens her mouth to answer, her eyes dart away, having caught something out of the corner of them. Stiles turns his head to see what she's looking at and nearly breathes out a sigh of relief when he spots Scott and Danny making their way back over to them, deep in conversation. 

Finally. It felt like they were gone for hours. Realistically, it was probably only about five minutes. Ten at most. But that conversation made it feel a hell of a lot longer. 

Once in speaking distance, Scott catches Stiles' eye, glancing between him and Allison with a slightly puzzled expression. Stiles definitely can't blame him. Then Scott simply holds up the ice pack in his hand as he reaches them.

"It took the guy ages to remember where they keep these in case of situations like this," he says, looking pointedly at Stiles with a grin. "Then it took even longer for him to actually take us to get one or even tell us where to find them because he kept getting call after call. I swear, I have never seen a guy look more stressed out and clueless."

"Damn, poor guy. But it's fine," Stiles assures him, gesturing at Allison with his good hand. "We've just been here. Talking. About nothing. I mean, not nothing. Just school and stuff like that." 

"Yeah, it was actually a pretty interesting conversation," she says, that soft smile remaining on her lips as she sends him a subtle look. "Thanks for helping me figure some things out." 

Then she pushes herself out of her seat and pauses, now standing face-to-face with Scott. There's a feel of awkwardness in the air but it disappears as quickly as it came as Allison once again smiles and begins to slowly back away.

She points her thumb over her shoulder at Lydia, Jackson, and Danny. "I should go take my turn," she says. "You know, before Jackson starts complaining again about how long we're taking." 

"Oh, no, wouldn't want that, now would we?" Stiles agrees.

It's strange, but he actually likes how she plays along with this kind of thing. Scott and Danny are usually the only people who understand his humour and don't just roll their eyes at him. He can definitely see himself getting along pretty well with her. If he can keep a hold on his jealousy, of course.

Once she turns away and joins Lydia by the lanes, Scott sits down, taking the seat Allison had been occupying. His eyes dart over to them as he shifts the ice pack around in his hands, a grin spreading across his face. 

"So, you two seemed to be getting along," he comments as casually as possible, which is one of the reasons Stiles knows he wants to ask more. But he doesn't; he just looks at him with curious eyes. 

Stiles nods, saying, "Yeah, I think we were. She's... sweet." 

He purposefully leaves it there, not wanting Scott to ask for more details about their conversation, or what he thinks of her. Of course, they've talked about Allison before. It's hard not to when she seems to be all that Scott wants to discuss - and at great length. For hours. But considering Stiles and Allison have never really had a proper conversation, he's never fully been able to respond to anything he says with anything more than simple answers. 

Until now, of course. And honestly, the last thing Stiles really wants to do right now is discuss how lovely and kind and just such an adorable and funny person Allison is. Not that he doesn't think all of that is true, because if what they just talked about is anything to go on, she's definitely way nicer than most people. But that's the problem. 

He now knows that she and Scott are pretty much perfect for each other. And he knows that if Scott asks, he'll end up telling him that, as much as he doesn't want to. 

"Yeah, she is," Scott agrees. But that's it. No gushing about how great she is, no heart eyes, not even a hint of awe in his voice. That's... strange. 

"Uh, so," Stiles motions at the ice pack, still currently in Scott's hands, "could I maybe... have that? You know, it's just, the pain and all. It's not so bad, but-"

"Oh!" Scott's eyes widen as he realises he completely forgot about it. "Yeah, sorry."

Stiles expects him to hand him the ice pack and goes to reach out with his left hand to take it. But Scott doesn't offer it to him. Instead, he shifts a little closer, leaning an arm on the table separating them, and goes to gently presses the pack to Stiles' wrist himself. 

"Oh, you don't have to-" 

"It's okay," Scott says, shaking his head with a smile. "I don't mind." 

Stiles doesn't bother trying to argue or protest and just lets Scott go ahead.

The ice pack is surprisingly still extremely cold, despite how long it's already been out of whatever freezer they were keeping it in, and he can't help but hiss quietly as it touches his skin. Scott looks like he wants to pull it away again, clearly worried it's making the pain worse, but Stiles sends him an attempt at a reassuring smile and just shakes his head slightly, letting him know it's okay.

After a few seconds, it's not so bad, and it actually becomes kind of soothing. Stiles relaxes, slumping a little as the ice pack starts to numb his wrist. 

"It's helping?" Scott asks as he takes it off for a second, letting him shift his arm then presses it back to his skin. Stiles nods and he smiles. "Good. That's good." 

Stiles just makes a noise of agreement. His eyes drift over to Lydia and Allison, both looking happier than he's seen either of them the entire night as they talk away to each other. About what, he has no idea. He shifts his gaze to Jackson and Danny. They're standing over by the lanes, and by the looks of it, Danny's somehow managed to convince Jackson that staying a little longer isn't the worst idea in the world. 

It's possible he reminded Jackson that the game isn't technically over yet, and that they still have a chance of winning - especially now that Stiles can't play. That would definitely be one way to get him to stay. Or maybe he just came up with a really good excuse and knew that Jackson wouldn't argue because Danny's his best friend and finds it surprisingly difficult to say not to him at times. Either way, it worked. Stiles doesn't know whether to be glad or disappointed. 

He only becomes aware of how long he's been watching the two for when he catches Scott checking to see what he's looking at then lowers his head, a frown pulling the corners of his mouth down as his eyebrows furrow with what seems like confusion and... something else. Something that Stiles can't be seeing right. 

"You okay, dude?" Stiles asks carefully, hoping it's not got anything to do with the full moon that's only a few days away and will be the first one since Scott became a werewolf. "You feeling any urges to... kill anyone? Or, y'know, claw them to pieces, rip out their throats, that kind of thing?" 

Scott glances up at him, his frown turning into a smile for a split second at Stiles' attempt at a half-joke before disappearing again. He shakes his head. "No, I'm fine." 

Stiles raises his eyebrows. "Okay," he says slowly, eyes darting to his wrist. "Do you, uh, want me to take that?" he asks, pointing to the ice pack that Scott still seems insistent on holding onto as he keeps it pressed gently against Stiles' skin. 

"No, that's okay. I don't mind doing this," he says again.

There's something about the way he says it; the softness of his tone, the sincerity. It's strange and not a tone Stiles is entirely used to. But there's something else. Some hint of something lying underneath his words that Stiles can't quite figure out. It's the same thing that he had seen flicker across Scott's face before. 

He doesn't say anything about it though, and just watches as Scott carefully uses his other hand to shift his wrist a little to reposition the ice pack. He's still so gentle about the whole thing; barely pressing it against his skin at first just so that it doesn't sting, basically dabbing it along his wrist until he's sure it's okay to apply a little more pressure. It's actually pretty sweet, and of course, all it does is remind Stiles of one of the reasons he loves him.

That's probably why he doesn't try to once again point out that Scott really doesn't have to do any of this considering he can still move his wrist on his own. But even if he did, he knows it wouldn't make much of a difference; Scott just seems so focused on helping him that he would most likely insist that Stiles needs to rest his hand, meaning he would still just continue to do it anyway. 

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Scott asks quietly, not taking his eyes off of his own movements, fingers still gently holding onto Stiles' hand to fix the ice pack. 

"Is today the day of asking me questions or something?" Stiles asks with a laugh. Scott just smiles but it's barely there, just a slight quirk of the corners of his mouth. It's enough to make Stiles' own grin slip, worry beginning to build inside of him. Maybe it really is something serious. "Sure, dude. You know you can ask me anything. No secrets, remember?" 

There's a twist of guilt in his stomach. No secrets. 

Scott nods and he seems to gain a little more confidence. He lifts his head, looking directly at Stiles. Despite that, there's still a flicker of nervousness in his eyes that Stiles wouldn't have caught if he didn't know Scott as well as he does. He's used to picking up on the tiniest of his movements that let him know exactly how he's feeling.  

"What..." he pauses, licking his lips as he seems to rethink his words. "Is there something going on with you and Danny? You can tell me if there is. I don't mind that you didn't mention it before. I know we say 'no secrets' but I would totally get it if you didn't want to tell me. I just noticed that you seem to be... closer. Actually, Allison pointed it out, but-" 

"Oh my god." Stiles couldn't stop himself from cutting Scott off, eyes narrowing more and more with each word that came out of his mouth. Scott thinks he's dating Danny. Or doing something with him, at least, judging by the slightly flustered look on his face. 

Scott stops talking, his lips still parted as if to continue. His confusion at Stiles' response is made very evident, and it's one of those moments where Stiles can't believe how completely oblivious his best friend is. 

"Let me get this right," he starts. "You think that I'm seeing Danny? In secret?"  

Scott hesitates. "Yeah? I mean, maybe... Are you?" 

Stiles doesn't answer him. "You actually think that I've been sleeping with Danny and didn't tell you? Dude, we literally tell each other basically everything. Okay? I can assure you that if anything happened, and if I was no longer a virgin, you would have found out the second after it happened. I'm not even kidding, as soon as-" 

"Okay, okay, I get it," Scott stops him, a small grin spreading across his face. "I didn't really mean it like that, but it was a stupid question, I know. I just... wanted to be sure." 

"Well, now you are," Stiles says. "I am in no way dating Danny. Not that I wouldn't. I think Danny would actually be a great boyfriend. Plus, he's hot. And it would piss Jackson off." 

Scott rolls his eyes at him. Stiles has never pretended to try and be subtle about this kind of thing - even when he was worried that it might make Scott catch on to his feelings for him. So, it obviously doesn't surprise him in the slightest. But there is still something else there. It's that same little flicker of something - the one that Stiles can't figure out. Just like the last two times, he ignores it. 

\-------------------------------------------------

Twenty minutes later and they're finally leaving. Unsurprisingly, Lydia and Allison won, leaving Jackson somewhat irritated, but definitely not as much as he would have been had it been Scott and Stiles that beat him and Danny.

As soon as they're outside, Jackson turns to Lydia, jerking his head in the direction of where his car is parked. "Come on," he says. "I don't want to spend another minute here." 

But Lydia hesitates. It's obvious to all of them that she's reluctant to go with him as she bites her lower lip, probably trying to come up with a way to get home on her own so that she doesn't have to. But then Allison, being the good friend that she is, speaks up. 

"Actually, I was going to give her a ride home." Lydia glances up at her, eyebrows knitting together. Allison just sends her a look that tells her to go with it. "We were planning on studying together at my house, so it just makes more sense." 

Jackson obviously doesn't buy it, but he doesn't argue, clearly just as reluctant about having to sit in a car with Lydia the entire drive to her house as she is. He just rolls his eyes, keeping up whatever act it is that he has going on. 

"Fine by me," he says. Then he looks at Danny, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "Do you want a ride?" 

Considering Danny walked here, he could say no. He really doesn't live that far away, and Jackson knows that. But still, Danny smiles, nods and accepts. "Yeah, that would be great." 

Jackson just nods in response and says he'll wait for him in his car, knowing Danny will hang around a little longer to properly say goodnight, unlike him.

"So, uh, this was fun," Stiles says, voice a little uncertain. 

"Fun?" Danny repeats, raising his eyebrows. "Dude, you sprained your wrist." 

"We don't actually know that," Stiles points out. But when he moves it as if testing it out, he winces again, proving that it still hurts. "Okay, well, maybe there is some small possibility that I sprained it." 

Danny just rolls his eyes, shaking his head slightly, but doesn't get the chance to say anything else as Lydia scoffs and moves a little closer to Stiles, beginning to point out how obvious it is that he's sprained it and that he shouldn't joke so much about it in case it's serious. By the looks of it, Stiles is too stunned by the fact that Lydia's even talking to him to fully process anything she's saying, even if she is using a slightly stern tone.

Scott grins at Stiles' wide-eyed expression just as someone nudges his shoulder. He lifts his gaze to meet Danny's. Straight away he can tell there's something he wants to say to him, but he can also... smell his hesitation. That's definitely new and something Scott didn't even know was possible. Just something else he has to add to the list of weird side-effects of being a werewolf. 

Sure enough, after eyeing the rest of their friends to make sure they're all too occupied to notice, Danny carefully pulls Scott to the side, ignoring the questioning look he sends him. 

"Alright, so, I probably shouldn't be telling you this," he starts, eyes darting over to where Stiles is currently having his hand examined by Lydia as she continues to scold him on being so careless. "But I just can't take it anymore. Just watching the two of you is driving me insane." 

"I..." Scott's eyebrows furrow. "What are you talking about?" 

Danny turns back to him, a slightly incredulous expression on his face. But instead of enlightening Scott as to what he's talking about, he goes on to say, "You're an idiot. Seriously. Look, just... just talk to Stiles. Okay? And don't let him do that whole avoiding thing where he pretends he has no idea what you're talking about." 

"Wait, I'm so confused," Scott says. "Why do I need to talk to Stiles?" 

"Just do it, okay? I can't tell you why but just..." He sighs. "Ask him something about tonight. Like... why he tried so hard to get out of being here. Ask him what we were talking about when we went to get drinks. Just talk to him."

"But I-" 

Danny cuts him off before he can question him further. He pats his shoulder with a half-smirk half-grin. "Oh, and by the way, you really don't have to worry about me and Stiles secretly seeing each other." Scott's eyes widen. How does he know about that? "As amusing as your jealousy is, I feel bad about it, so that's why I'm telling you that Stiles was telling the truth. There's really nothing going on between us." 

"I wasn't jealous," is all Scott says. But as soon as the words slip out of his mouth, there's a twist in his stomach and he knows he's lying. "I'm not jealous," he says again, firmer this time. 

"Okay," Danny says, not believing him for a second. "I was just making sure you know you have no reason to be." 

Scott doesn't say anything. Deep down, he knows that Danny's right. As soon as Allison pointed out how close Stiles and Danny were, he felt like he'd been punched in the stomach and his chest was on fire. But he had convinced himself it was just because Stiles is his best friend. Somehow, that made sense to him. But now... 

"I should probably go," Danny says, addressing all of them this time as he drops his hand from Scott's shoulder. He cracks a slight grin. "You know, before Jackson decides to take back that offer." 

They all say goodnight to him and he heads over to Jackson's car. A few minutes later and they're gone.

"We should be going too," Lydia says, glancing at Allison as she checks the time on her phone. They seem to have stayed a little longer than they had been planning to. 

Allison's eyes dart to Scott and he meets her gaze, holding it for a few seconds as she seems to want to say something. Her lips part slightly, then she tears her eyes away. It might just be his imagination, but he swears she looks at Stiles for a split second before making up her mind about whether or not to speak. 

"I'll just be two seconds, okay?" she says to Lydia before turning back to Scott. "Can I talk to you? I swear it'll be quick." 

Scott nods, noticing Stiles' panicked expression a second too late. "Sure. We can talk." 

He once again finds himself being pulled to the side, a little further away this time as Allison glances nervously back at Lydia and Stiles, who both just stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say now that they're left alone.

Allison shifts her gaze back to Scott. "I need to make this quick or else Stiles will get suspicious and he'll know something's up. Basically, I want you to know that I know why you've been acting weird." 

Scott's eyes widen and he doesn't know either to just make a run for it or beg her not to tell her dad that he's a werewolf because he really doesn't want to die. It doesn't even occur to him that that's not what she's talking about. 

"I - I don't know what you're talking about, I've-" 

"Scott," she cuts him off, a soft, assuring smile on her lips. "You've been acting weird since I told you how close I thought Stiles and Danny were. It's pretty easy to tell when someone's jealous. And I get it. You like Stiles. And I just want you to know that you're not going to hurt me or anything if you tell him. Which, I definitely think you should do. Keeping a secret like that isn't good for anyone." 

Scott's too shocked and confused and just completely caught off-guard to string together a longer response than, "What?" 

She rolls her eyes, smile widening a little. "God, you two are so similar. Seriously though," she tilts her head a little, "you should go for it. Just tell him the truth. And as I said, don't worry about me. I like you, but it's pretty obvious that you and Stiles have something way stronger than that, and I don't want to get in the middle of it." 

Scott's trying to process everything she's saying but all he can think about right now is how scarily similar this conversation is to the one he had just two minutes ago with Danny. It's slightly different but not by much. 

"I... But I don't - Stiles is just-" 

"It's okay, Scott," she says. "Really. You don't have to try and deny it with me." 

He isn't sure what to say. On the one hand, he's telling himself that she's wrong and that he wasn't jealous. But he's already established that that's not true. And there has to be a reason for that jealousy other than that Stiles is his best friend. So, what if she's right? 

He swallows and Allison must notice something cross his face or in his eyes or just something, because she touches his shoulder in that gentle, caring way of hers. 

"Talk to him," is all she says. 

Then she's lightly pushing him forward as she heads back to Stiles and Lydia. When Scott stands next to Stiles, he notices the look on his face this time. The worried, questioning one. He probably thinks what Scott did at first; that Allison somehow figured out he was a werewolf. 

He just sends him a subtle shake of his head a tiny smile, before turning to Allison and Lydia.

"Can we go now?" Lydia asks, somewhat impatiently but still... in a nice way. Scott doesn't even know how that's possible. 

Allison smiles at her and nods. She glances over at Scott, sending him a look that he understands perfectly. 

Lydia then slips her arm through Allison's, tugging a little as if to try and get her to leave quicker, and Allison doesn't protest, letting her pull her away as she sends him and Stiles a small wave, saying they'll see them tomorrow.

Once they're in Allison's car and driving away, Stiles turns to face Scott, still a bit paler than usual as he fidgets with his hands and winces when he accidentally moves his wrist the wrong way.

"So, uh," he raises his eyebrows a little, "Allison?" 

Scott just shakes his head. "She doesn't know anything about me being a werewolf or anything like that." He stops. "At least, not that I know of. She just wanted to talk about... something else." 

He begins walking towards where he's sure Stiles parked the jeep, hoping he won't ask what "something else" means. He's not exactly a great liar at the best of times, but when it comes to Stiles, he's terrible at it. It's like he can see right through him in seconds, and that isn't something he needs right now. 

Of course, the universe just never seems to be on his side.

"Something else? Like... about you two?" Stiles asks curiously with a hint of alarm as he follows him and catches up, walking next to him. Then he gasps, his eyes widening. "Oh my god, did she break up with you or something?" 

"No, Stiles, she didn't break up with me," Scott says. "To do that, we would have to have actually been dating in the first place. Which we weren't, so..." 

"Oh, right," is all Stiles said before going quiet. 

They continue walking until they reach the jeep, neither saying anything, too lost in their own thoughts and distracted by everything that's happened to notice. 

It doesn't seem to need to be said out loud that Stiles is driving Scott home, as they both climb in without question. It's only once they're actually in and Stiles is shoving the key in, about to turn it, that he finally stops and looks up at Scott. 

"Wait, where's your bike?" 

"Oh, I left it at home," Scott answers. 

"You..." Stiles sits up, blinking. "You left it at home. So, you're telling me that you walked all the way here? From your house? To here?" 

Scott raises his eyebrows at him. "Yeah, that's exactly what I did. I'm a werewolf now, remember? Apparently one of the perks is being able to run really fast and not get tired or end up coughing up my lungs." 

"That's just a bit of a long walk though," Stiles says, shrugging as he turns back to the dashboard and turns the key. 

The engine starts up, spluttering in its usual, concerning and unhealthy-sounding way. Thankfully, it doesn't immediately break down, and they manage to back out of the parking lot. 

"I guess I never noticed," Scott says truthfully. "It didn't really feel that long when I was running." 

Stiles just sends him a look from the corner of his eye as he drives down the road, leading them away from the bowling alley. He doesn't say anything else about it, just gives a small, thoughtful noise. A minute later his finger's tapping against the steering wheel. 

Scott knows the sign well enough by now. He can't really blame Stiles for being anxious. After all, they still barely know anything about actual werewolves, and the full moon is right around the corner. Neither of them knows what's going to happen. So, any new piece of information they learn is just one more piece in the puzzle of figuring out what exactly they're going to do - if they can do anything at all.

He pushes those worries to the back of his mind, trying to focus on something else. Now isn't the time to be worrying about all of this; they can deal with it when the time comes. 

Unfortunately, what replaces those thoughts isn't much better. His conversations with Allison and Danny keep replaying in his head. There's just a lot of questions that he can't seem to answer. 

If he wasn't jealous because Stiles is his best friend, then what is it? What possible reason could he have? He tries to ignore the little part of him that reminds him of what Allison said, how there was this tugging in his stomach like he knew what she was saying was right. And not just about the jealousy part.

His eyes drift over to his best friend, so focused on the road in front of them while he gnaws on his lip, his anxiety clearly having gotten worse in the short time they've been driving. Without thinking about it, Images flood his mind of those same lips pressing softly against someone else's - no one in particular, no, definitely not. Just a random silhouette.

He can just picture how hesitant and unsure Stiles would be at first, their lips barely brushing. But then he'd be a little more confident and press a little harder. Stiles' hands would find their way to his waist and try to tug him closer as the kiss deepens, turning into more than just closed-mouths pressing together. 

Judging by how much Stiles moves his hands without even being fully conscious of it, Scott's willing to guess that his hands wouldn't stay in one place for too long. At least one would probably move from his waist to tangle in his hair, fingers weaving through the strands as he grips it a little, as if teasing him. Stiles would definitely try and tease someone while he's kissing them. 

Scott can just imagine him pulling away, only to start kissing up and down his neck, stopping to suck a little at certain spots - ones he knows will earn him a moan in return. The look of satisfaction Stiles would wear as he pulled back would make him completely melt, and-

The realisation hits Scott like a tidal wave. He's picturing himself with Stiles. It was his waist he was picturing Stiles' fingers digging into, his lips that parted ever so slightly as Stiles' tongue darted out. His neck he was imagining Stiles leaving a trail of marks on, as if trying to claim him in some way.

Guilt and confusion swirl in his stomach, along with a few other emotions that are making his head hurt. He has to blink a few times before he realises he's still staring at Stiles, who's apparently oblivious to the emotional turmoil going on in his best friend's head. 

Scott swallows down the lump in his throat and forces himself to tear his eyes away, turning his head to look out the window instead. His heart is pounding in his chest and it's hard to block it out due to his new heightened hearing, which is beginning to seem less and less like a perk, and more like one of the downsides to being a werewolf.

He hadn't meant to do it. It was more of a subconscious thing. Somehow that only makes it worse in his head. 

God, was Allison really right? He already knows the answer to that - truthfully, he has for a while. He's just scared, he doesn't want to admit it to himself. If he does that, then how is he supposed to act like everything's fine around Stiles? He would figure it out in two seconds and then... well, he doesn't actually know how Stiles would react. Probably with a joke. 

Just as the thought crosses his mind, Stiles finally speaks up. 

"So, tonight was, uh," he pauses, trying to think of the right word as Scott looks at him. "Interesting. I do not plan on repeating it. Ever again. So, how about, the next that you get dragged into a 'group date' you don't invite me along like the wonderfully thoughtful best friend you are?" 

"Don't worry," Scott says, somehow managing to push his previous thoughts to the back of his mind as he grins at him. "I'm pretty sure this was a one-time thing anyway." 

Scott can practically see Stiles' relief as he groans, saying, "Oh thank god. Because if it wasn't, I would just refuse. There is no way you could ever convince me to put myself through this again." 

"You refused this time as well, but you still came," Scott points out, unable to help himself. "Besides, it wasn't all bad." 

Surely Stiles had some fun tonight. 

"Hey, I only came because you begged me," Stiles argues, glancing at Scott. "You even used the puppy-dog eyes on me, which was obviously an unfair and totally uncool move." He looks back at the road. "It's impossible to say no to you when you do that," he adds in a quieter voice. 

"What? I don't do that," Scott tries to protest, only to be shot a glare from Stiles. There's no sting behind it though and all it does is make Scott laugh. "Come on, we both know that the whole 'puppy-dog' thing doesn't work on you. Don't you remember that time I tried it when we were like eleven because I was sick and my mom told you to go home but I begged you to stay and keep me company so that I wouldn't die of boredom?" 

Stiles' face turns a light shade of red as he seems to take an intense interest in the road, which, Scott doesn't bother to question considering he _is_ driving. 

"Clearly you can resist the puppy-dog eyes, or else you would have stayed," Scott says with a grin. 

"That's..." Stiles groans quietly, the noise barely even making it past his lips and Scott's just hit with a wave of embarrassment. "I actually snuck in through your bedroom window twenty minutes after your mom told me to leave because I felt bad. But you, uh - you were kind of already passed out on your bed. I did try to wake you up but... you know, you were sick and I didn't want to disturb you, so..." 

Scott has no idea why but his insides twist a little. He just stares at Stiles, opening his mouth then closing it again second after until he finally says, "Wait, so... you did technically come back? Which means-" 

"Which means that your stupid puppy-dog eyes do work on me, yes, I know," Stiles finishes for him, his face flushing a deeper shade of red. "Which also proves me right in saying that the only reason I even came tonight was because you asked me to." 

For some reason, the words are left hanging in the air between them. Even though it's not, it sort of feels like a confession. One that Scott doesn't quite understand, but a confession all the same. 

All he can do is look at Stiles, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he tries to figure out the expression on his face that's so unreadable, even to him. His wanders without him meaning it to, and of course, ends up back at those particular thoughts. The ones that are now making him imagine a scenario in which he's sick and Stiles stays with him to look after him and _oh god._

A few minutes pass without either of them saying a word, while Scott tries to shake the images and scenarios out of his head. 

"It was fun though," Stiles says out nowhere, breaking the silence. "Weird, uncomfortable, and totally awkward. But... fun." 

Scott blinks then he's grinning again, unable to stop himself. "Even though you sprained your wrist and had to sit through two hours of bowling with Jackson and Lydia?" 

Stiles' eyes widen, his head whipping around to stare at Scott. "That was only _two hours?_ " he asks incredulously. "I thought we were there for like five!" 

Scott rolls his eyes as Stiles grins, obviously joking. He glances out the window just as they pull into his street into his street, his house already in sight. 

"Alright," Stiles says as the jeep comes to a stop. He turns to Scott, flashing him another, much brighter grin. "So, I'll, uh, see you tomorrow? School?" 

Scott nods, and is about to get out of the jeep, hand already reaching for the handle. "Yeah, yeah, of course." Then he pauses. He doesn't know what makes him do it but- "Hey, do you wanna come in? You know, because of your wrist? My mom should be home right now, and it's probably a good idea to at least have her check it out."

Stiles shrugs. "Sure. As long as she isn't going to lecture me, why not? I already got one from Lydia, and that went past my limit of crazy and terrifying." He shudders. "I don't think I could handle a lecture from your mom right now." 

"Well, you did just drive us here with a potentially sprained wrist, so I kinda feel like a lecture's pretty likely." 

Stiles just flashes him another grin as he opens his door. "Nope, because I'll just lie and say that you drove." He then climbs out, catching Scott's eyes as he moves around the jeep and sends him a wink. 

Scott rolls his eyes, ignoring his chest as it tightens the tiniest bit and his heart beats that little bit faster. He follows after Stiles, shoving his shoulder a little as he shakes his head at him and they walk up the stairs and onto the porch.

Once they're inside his house with the door closed behind them, Scott peers his head into the living room, eyes searching for his mom. 

"Scott? Is that you, honey?" Her voice travels down the stairs, followed by footsteps. She appears in front of them, eyes darting back and forth between them before landing on Scott. "I wasn't expecting you home so soon." 

"Really?" he questions, eyebrows furrowing. "But I said I would probably be back by nine. I'm technically two hours late." 

"Yeah, I know, but I thought that you were going to end up going to that girl's house. Allison, right? Anyway, I actually didn't expect to see you until the morning. After all," her eyes dart to Stiles, a soft smile spreading across her face as she sends him a pointed look, "you do have a habit of staying out all night." 

Stiles grins, feigning innocence while glancing at Scott as if to ask for help. Scott just grins back, unable to deny it. He wouldn't have gotten into half the trouble he has if it wasn't Stiles convincing him to go on crazy adventures during the night. Not that Scott really minds. 

"In my defence," Stiles says, holding up his hand. Scott notices him wince slightly. "Scott was happily corrupted. So, really, I'm not to blame. After all, he chooses to sneak out. All I have to do is climb up to his window. He's like Rapunzel." 

Scott gapes at him and receives a wink from him. He shakes his head slowly, then looks at his mom as she simply raises her eyebrows at the two of them.

"Allison's studying with Lydia tonight," he explains. "I wasn't going to hers anyway, though." 

"Oh," his mom's amusement falters slightly, turning to concern, "did something happen...?" 

Scott actually hesitates. He doesn't mean to. But... technically something did happen. As Allison said, it's not like they were even really together anyway. But still, it's all just so confusing.

"No, mom, nothing happened," he assures her. "Allison and I are... we're good." 

He can't help but sneak a glance at Stiles. He's not sure whether he's looking for a reaction or what, but it doesn't really matter. His expression doesn't change, not even a flicker of... well, Scott doesn't really know what he was looking for. 

His mom just nods carefully, like she isn't sure if he's telling the truth or not. Then she heads into the living room, speaking to them over her shoulder. "Well, I'm guessing you two have some studying to do as well then." 

"Yeah, so we should probably-" Stiles starts, gesturing to the stairs as he slowly begins to edge toward them. 

Scott rolls his eyes out of exasperation that's more fond than it is annoyed. He reaches out and grabs Stiles' hoodie to stop him from going any further, simply sending him a "seriously?" look and gesturing to his hand.

Judging by the way his Adam's apple bobs up in his throat and the hint of fear that Scott can smell in the air, this is definitely what Stiles was trying to avoid. 

"Actually, we were kinda hoping we could get your help with something?" Scott says before Stiles can make a decision and just run up the stairs to get out of this conversation. 

His mom looks over at them curiously, and Scott drags Stiles into the living room, ignoring his quiet noise of protest. 

"While we were bowling, Stiles hurt his wrist, and we think he may have sprained it but-" 

"Look, it's really not that bad," Stiles tries as he holds it up to prove his point.

Unfortunately for him, all it does is the exact opposite. The swelling and redness seem to have gotten worse without either of them noticing, and Scott is almost definitely positive that it's sprained. He still looks to his mom to be sure though, and he's guessing he's right by the disbelief and slight concern on her face. 

"I wish I was surprised," is all she says as she gestures at the couch, telling Stiles to sit down. 

He does - with some light pushing from Scott, of course. His mom begins carefully examining Stiles' hand, just to make sure he didn't do more than sprain it. Scott explains that they got an ice pack from the bowling alley and that it seemed to have been helping. Although looking at Stiles' wrist now, he's not so sure. 

She just tells him to go get one of the ones they keep in the freezer, along with a bandage for afterwards. As Scott goes off to grab them, he hears his mom try to talk Stiles into going to the hospital so that they're absolutely sure it's just sprained. Of course, he refuses. 

After Scott brings the ice pack and the bandage back to her, she basically just tells them to keep the ice pack on his wrist until it melts, then to put the bandage on. It's pretty much what the hospital would have done anyway, so, she's obviously not too bothered about Stiles not going to one. 

However, she doesn't drop the subject of his wrist entirely. 

"Hold on," her eyes dart to the window, where Scott knows the jeep is visible to her, "Did you drive here?" She doesn't give Stiles a chance to answer, turning to Scott with a stern look on her face. "Did you actually let him drive the entire way here with a sprained wrist?" 

It's only just occurring to Scott that that may not have been the best idea. "I didn't-" 

"That's it," she says, ignoring what was about to be his lame attempt at an excuse. She just looks at Stiles, holding her hand out in front of her. "You're staying here tonight. Give me your keys. You're grounded." 

Stiles gapes at her, squinting as he protests, "You can't do that!" 

She raises her eyebrows. "Yeah? Well, now I can. Unless, while I'm on the phone to your dad to let him know that you'll be staying here tonight, you also want me to tell him that you won't go to a hospital for an injury that you could have made worse by driving here." 

Stiles pauses, clearly considering it before quickly coming to a decision. He huffs and rolls his eyes as he digs in his pocket for the keys to his jeep. Once he pulls them out, he places them in her hand and she quickly closes her fingers around them and pulls away before he can try and take them back. 

"Dude, your mom actually just grounded me," Stiles complains to Scott, his voice quiet as he fidgets with the ice pack in his hands. 

Scott can't hide his amusement as he nods. "I know. I guess you're stuck here for the night." 

Then it hits him. Stiles is stuck here for the night. Which, he usually wouldn't mind. But while he's in the middle of trying to figure out what the hell Danny was talking about earlier, and if he really does have feelings for Stiles, which, he knows he does? Not great timing. There's not really anything he can do about it though. 

 _And this doesn't necessarily need to be a bad thing,_ Scott thinks to himself as he and Stiles head up the stairs to Scott's bedroom. Nothing's changed. These feelings have always been there. Scott knows that. So, all he has to do is ignore them like he's been doing for... years.

That's not complicated. So, why try to make things harder than they have to be, just because Allison finally got him to accept that he's in love with his best friend and now has to pretend that he isn't because he's afraid of messing everything up? Totally not complicated. 

\---------------------------------------------

It takes Scott about an hour later to finally remember what Danny said to him. Talk to Stiles. Ask him why he tried so hard to get out of going bowling. At the time, he'd been too confused to question it. But now that he's on his bed, Stiles next to him and both of them lying on their fronts as they play one of the games Scott had bought recently, instead of doing any sort of homework, he's finally processing it. 

It's already past midnight at this point, the sky outside dark and the rest of the house quiet as Scott's mom went to bed half an hour ago. And really, it's probably the best time to bring the subject up. At least if he says the wrong thing, Stiles can't really just walk out... unless he decides to go out the window.

"Hey, so, I was talking to Danny earlier," he says, trying to sound casual as he keeps his eyes on the screen in front of him, fingers still pushing buttons on the controller. "When we were outside the bowling alley?" 

Stiles makes a noise that lets him know he's listening, not wanting to break his concentration as they both sneak their characters into the building in front of them. Then he quickly says, "Yeah?" 

"Yeah, he, uh..." Scott pulls his lower lip in between his teeth for a second as he tries to think about how to approach the subject. He shouldn't be this nervous - he doesn't even know what Danny wanted him to talk to Stiles about. It's not like he's about to confess that the's in love with him or anything.

He clears his throat and decides to just go for it. "He said that I should talk to you about something? I don't know, dude, he was being pretty vague. But he said I should ask why you tried to get out of going bowling?" 

Scott doesn't realise at first that Stiles has gone completely still until he notices that his character has stopped moving and just got shot because he wasn't paying attention. He turns his head to look at him just as Stiles pulls himself back, swallowing and hitting replay on the game. 

"Wonder why he'd say that," Stiles tries to brush it off with a half-laugh. "You already know that I didn't want to go because it was going to be incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. I mean, come on. Bowling with Lydia and Jackson? Not to mention, I was technically there by myself if you think about it. No one likes being the... sixth wheel." 

"You weren't there alone. Didn't Danny call you his date?" Scott pretends he didn't hear a hint of bitterness slip into his own voice. 

Stiles rolls his eyes but grins. He's still avoiding Scott's eyes. "Yeah, but that was just a joke. At least he spent most of the night with Jackson, even when he was with Lydia. He was practically _their_ date." 

"Hey, you had me," Scott points out, a sinking feeling in his chest. "Just because it was originally meant to be a date between me and Allison, doesn't mean I didn't enjoy having you there." 

Stiles raises his eyebrows, finally glancing at him for a second. "Oh yeah? Huh, guess I must have missed that in between all of the time you spent glued to Allison's side." 

It's obvious by his tone that he's joking and that he didn't actually feel left out tonight. But still, Scott can't help but feel guilty. Stiles is right. He did spend most of his time with Allison, even though he had basically begged Stiles to come with them because he hoped it would make things less awkward. Stiles even admitted that Scott was the only reason he went! 

And Scott only really started paying attention to him when... he thought there was something going on about him and Danny.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to ignore you, I just... was distracted, I guess." 

"Hey, dude, I was kidding," Stiles says. He shrugs, adding, "It didn't bother me. As I said earlier, I still had fun. Even if I did sprain my wrist in the process." He shifts his wrist a little as he says it, staring at the bandage he had shoved on when they threw the ice pack onto the floor not too long ago. "Besides, you're right. I had Danny, and he's not too bad of a date." 

Scott doesn't say anything else as the game starts back up and they're thrown into it once more. He pushes down the jealousy that rose in his throat at Stiles' words. This obviously isn't working. If Danny wanted him to talk to Stiles so badly about whatever it is, then why didn't he just tell him what to ask? 

He tries to recall everything Danny said during their very short but confusing conversation outside the bowling alley. It takes a few seconds, but then something comes to him. 

"Hey, so, I was just wondering," he starts, once again keeping his voice as casual and nonchalant as possible. "What were you and Danny talking about? You know, when you went to get drinks? You two just looked like you were having a pretty... intense discussion."

Stiles' eyes widen then quickly return to normal as they dart over to Scott. "You saw that? I thought you would have been too busy with... I don't know, whatever you and Allison do." Scott rolls his eyes and Stiles just smirks. "But Danny and I were just having an interesting little chat. I actually learned a few things." 

"Yeah?" Scott prompts, hoping this might actually give him some answers. He isn't counting on it though.

Stiles' smirk turns into a grin as he nods and shifts onto his side, now fully facing Scott. "Yeah. You'd never believe who our sweet little Danny has a thing for." He's about to go ahead and tell him when there's a buzzing from behind him.

He glances at Scott then reaches behind him to grab his phone. He picks it up but doesn't answer straight away, his eyes narrowing at the screen. 

"It's Danny," he says, lifting his head to look at Scott. "That's... interesting and terrifying timing." 

Scott has to agree. It's now nearly one in the morning, and Danny chooses now to call Stiles? That's definitely pretty weird. Does he always do this sort of thing? Scott forces himself not to think about Danny and Stiles staying up all night, just talking to each other on the phone. 

God, he never used to get this jealous over stupid little things. He definitely preferred not accepting his feelings; at least he wasn't overthinking every little thing.

Just before the call can drop, Stiles answers, sending Scott a one-shouldered shrug as he holds the phone up to his ear. Realising that that's probably the end of their conversation - at least for now - Scott carefully gets up off the bed and moves toward the bathroom, just waving at Stiles to tell him he'll be back in a minute. 

"Hey, what's up dude?" Is all Scott hears of the call before he closes the bathroom door behind him. 

With a sigh, he moves over to the sink, his hands holding onto the edges as he leans against it. _That didn't exactly go as planned,_ he thinks to himself. Not that he even really had a plan anyway. He was just taking stabs in the dark with his questions, and even then, Stiles had no idea what he was talking about. At least, he was pretending he didn't.

Every time he said something, his heartbeat jumped ever so slightly. Scott still doesn't really understand how any of this works, but he's pretty sure that's a sign that Stiles was lying. 

He turns on the cold water tap and leans down, using his hands to splash some of it in his face. He may be used to staying up and sneaking out at all hours of the night, but that doesn't mean he isn't still tired. Especially when he's been staring at a screen for the last hour and a half, while also attempting to figure out what Danny meant and contemplating how the hell Allison managed to figure out his feelings before even he did?

A few more handfuls of cold water in his face and he straightens back up, running a hand through his hair despite it still being wet. He looks in the mirror - more specifically, at his eyes. Ever since the first time he saw them change to gold, he's been worried they're going to do it without him realising. But now, he's more curious. He wonders if maybe he can change them at will, especially since they're kind of close to a full moon. 

Just as he leans a little closer to examine them better and try to test it out, his heightened hearing catches a snippet of conversation without him meaning to. 

 _"Okay, first of all, I'm going to kill you. In a very violent, very bloody way, so that when they find your body, they won't even be able to tell it's you. Secondly, there is no way in hell I'm telling him, and you're completely out of your mind if you ever thought I was going to."_ There's a pause. _"How about, because I have to spend the rest of the night in his house? Oh, yeah, and it's not like I'm going to see him every single day for the rest of my life."_  

Scott knows he should stop listening. Judging by the comment about having to spend the rest of the night in "his" house, he's guessing this really isn't a conversation he's supposed to hear. But he can't help it. He doesn't know how to control this stupid heightened sense things yet. 

He tries to tune it out, turning both taps on as far as they can go. But still, Stiles' voice makes its way to his ears, as clear as if they were standing right next to each other and not separated by a door. 

_"Danny, I swear to god - what did you say to him? He's been asking me what the hell you wanted him to talk to me about, and now I'm freaking out! I would never do something like this to you with Jackson."_

Scott strains to hear what Danny says in response.  _"-ause you don't like him and refuse to even go near him when possible. If it were anyone else, you would absolutely do the same thing."_

 _"That's not the point!"_ Stiles protests. He sighs and Scott can smell the frustration and panic coming from him. _"Look, I know you're just trying to help. But if Scott finds out, he'll-"_

 _"He'll what?"_ Danny asks. _"No, go on. I'm curious as to what you think Scott McCall, one of the sweetest guys on the planet, would do if he found his best friend was in love with him?"_

Stiles groans and that's when Scott somehow manages to successfully tune out the rest of their conversation. He leans back against the sink, hands gripping the edge as he ignores the slipperiness of it. The sound of blood rushing around his body and making his heart beat ten times faster is now the only sound filling his head, along with the still-running taps. 

He couldn't have heard that right. Surely, he didn't. That wouldn't make any sense at all. Except... it would. 

The way Stiles reacted when Scott said he had been talking to Danny; Scott knew he didn't imagine the look of panic on his face or the way his eyes widened. And after school, when Scott was persuading him to go bowling with them; Stiles tried every excuse he could think of to try and get out of it. Yet, Scott didn't even question if there was some other reason he didn't want to go. 

This entire time, there's been so many signs. Tiny little things that Stiles has said or done. Scott just brushed them all off as Stiles being Stiles. He was so sure he was still in love with Lydia that he didn't even stop for a second to think that Stiles might like someone else. Except for tonight, and even then, Allison had to point it out to him first 

 _God, I'm such an idiot_ , he thinks to himself. How could he have not noticed? And now Stiles is pretty much terrified to tell him the truth. But why? Because he thinks Scott's going to hate him? That he's going to... stop being friends with him? None of that makes sense. 

Deciding to wait a few more minutes, just until their call ends, Scott lets his mind wander a little. Stiles likes him. Or, in Danny's words, is in love with him. Stiles is in love with him, and he has absolutely no idea how to feel about that. 

He's definitely confused because he's still trying to process this whole thing, and it's just taking a little while to fully sink in. But the rest of him is... happy? He's only just let himself possibly accept the fact that he likes Stiles. And now to find out that Stiles is _in love with him_ , and has for a while by the sounds of it? That's... pretty overwhelming, actually.

Scott sucks in a deep breath then pushes it back out as he lowers his head, trying to think it all over. Does he pretend he didn't hear the conversation? No, Stiles will most likely know he's lying. He always does.

Slowly, and a little bit hesitantly, he pushes himself away from the sink, making sure to turn both taps off before moving over to the door. His hand hovers over the handle. 

It's all still so confusing and he has no idea what he's going to do when he walks out of here and has to face Stiles. Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe Stiles won't know that he could hear him. But that's so much worse. 

He has to take another deep breath in before pushing down and opening the door, then walking out and into his bedroom. Stiles is sitting on his bed, slowly lowering his phone as he stares at Scott like he knows what's coming. And Scott just knows they can't avoid this anymore.

\--------------------------------------

Stiles tries to sound as casual as possible when he answers the phone. "Hey, what's up, dude?"

Behind him, he's aware of the bathroom door closing, leaving him sitting in Scott's room alone. He lets out a breath of relief, thankful that he doesn't have to have this conversation as subtly as possible with Scott sitting right next to him. 

"Hey, I was just calling to see how things went with Scott." The way Danny says it could come across as completely innocent if Stiles didn't know better. 

"You called me at-" he glances at the clock on Scott's bedside table, "-nearly one in the morning, just to ask me how things went with Scott? Or did you actually call me to see if your devious little plan had worked, and Scott had managed to get me to slip up and tell him I'm in love with him, ruining my entire friendship with him?" 

He can practically hear Danny rolling his eyes on the other end before responding. "You overthink way too much. You really think that him knowing how you feel about him would ruin your friendship with him? Seriously?" 

"Yes," Stiles says, a little too quickly. It was like it was more of an instinctive response than a genuine one, and it's obvious that Danny's thinking the same thinking by the noise of amusement that comes through the phone. "Just tell me what you said to him so that I can at least be prepared for any more questions and don't leave myself looking like a total idiot as I try to come up with an excuse."  

Danny pauses, staying completely silent. Stiles has to clench his jaw as he rubs a hand across his face to refrain from snapping at him and accidentally raising his voice. That would be all he needs; to not only have Scott hear him, but also end up waking Scott's mom up. 

There's a sigh that comes through sort of crackly and distorted due to the bad connection this town seems to have. "Look, if you're so worried about this, why don't you just... tell him the truth? That way, you can avoid any questions he may or may not have gotten from me." 

Stiles's eyes narrow in disbelief, despite Danny not being able to see him. He just takes a second before responding with, "Because that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid? I- Did you just completely forget the reason I'm so worried about this? I don't want Scott to know. Telling him would kind of have the opposite effect, don't you think?" 

He gets up and begins pacing without being fully conscious of it, trying to ease his own anxiety about the whole situation. He's trying not to wonder what he's going to do if Scott walks out of the bathroom at that exact moment. 

"Dude, honestly. Just tell him. He's gonna figure it out considering what I told him, anyway." 

"Okay, first of all, I'm going to kill you. In a very violent, very bloody way, so that when they find your body, they won't even be able to tell it's you." All he receives in response is an amused-sounding hum, which, really, only makes his exasperation worse. "Secondly, there is no way in hell I'm telling him, and you're completely out of your mind if you ever thought I was going to." 

Danny laughs. He actually _laughs_. "Why not?" 

Stiles nearly scoffs at the question, but instead chooses to answer him as calmly as possible. "How about, because I have to spend the rest of the night in his house? Oh, yeah, and it's not like I'm going to see him every single day for the rest of my life." 

"Wait, you're at his house?" Danny's amusement only seems to increase as he realises the situation. "Oh, dude. You're screwed." 

"Danny, I swear to god - what did you say to him? He's been asking me what the hell you wanted him to talk to me about, and now I'm freaking out! I would never do something like this to you with Jackson." 

"That's totally different," Danny points out. "The only reason you wouldn't tell him is because you don't like him and refuse to even go near him when possible. If it were anyone else, you would absolutely do the same thing." 

"That's not the point!" Stiles protests, finally snapping. He stops, standing in the middle of Scott's room as he closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath, trying to calm himself back down. 

He doesn't want to be mad at Danny - and he isn't, not really. He's just worried that now Scott really is going to figure it all out, and that is the last thing he wants. 

"Look," he starts again, lowering his voice a little, "I know you're just trying to help. But if Scott finds out, he'll-" 

"He'll what?" Danny asks, cutting him off and only adding to his growing frustration. "No, go on. I'm curious as to what you think Scott McCall, one of the sweetest guys on the planet, would do if he found out his best friend was in love with him?" 

Stiles groans, not because he's annoyed but because he knows Danny does have a point. And because he's a little annoyed. Somewhere inside of him, he knows that Scott would never hold something like this against him, and would try and make things as comfortable as possible between them. 

But that's the problem.  They would just end up ignoring it like nothing's any different, and Stiles might be crazy, but that somehow seems worse than just... not telling Scott. Having him know and completely ignore how he feels about him? That's definitely worse in his head.

He sinks back down onto the edge of Scott's bed, eyeing the door a little warily with a nagging in the back of his mind and half-expecting Scott to walk out. But the door stays firmly closed and Stiles is pretty sure he can still hear the taps running inside. Hopefully that means Scott is none the wiser to anything that's going on right now. 

"I just don't know what to do," he mutters. 

There's another sigh on the other end, the sound of someone shifting around, and then Danny's voice. "Look, I know that my way of getting you two to actually talk this out may not have been the best. It clearly hasn't worked, or else Scott would already know. But I still say you should just tell him. Sure, it might be awkward at first - especially if he doesn't feel the same-" 

"Wow, thank you, I really appreciate this," Stiles says sarcastically. 

"I'm just saying," Danny says. "You're going to have to talk to him at some point. I may not have given him much to go on or a lot of hints, but he definitely now knows something's up. I recommend telling him before he figures it out on his own. At least that way you won't be completely caught off-guard." 

Stiles leans back, lying flat on his back on the bed as he lets out another sigh. Despite the part of him that is absolutely terrified at just the thought of bringing the subject up with Scott, and would rather jump into a pit of lava, he still knows that Danny has a point. He wishes he didn't though.

He would much rather be naive enough to think he can actually get through the rest of his life - scratch that, the rest of the night - without telling Scott he's in love with him, and that it'll have no consequences or he won't slip up at all. Unfortunately, that's not the case. 

It isn't until Danny starts talking again that Stiles finally remembers a very important and pretty crucial detail that he had somehow managed to forget before. Scott's a werewolf. And even though they still don't really know much about his powers or what he can do, they do know at least one thing. Werewolves have great hearing. Some would even say it's heightened.

"Seriously, I think you should just-" 

"Shit. Danny, I have to go," Stiles cuts him off, not fully paying attention as he sits up, eyes glued to the bathroom door. No wonder he's just been expecting Scott to walk out this entire time. That feeling in the back of his mind, telling him he was forgetting something, and he just ignored it -  it was because he was forgetting about Scott's heightened senses.

"Uh, okay," Danny says. "At least tell me tomorrow if you decide to tell him, okay? And-" 

"Yeah, yeah, I promise," Stiles agrees. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." 

He quickly hangs up the call, his heart going crazy in his chest as he prays to god he isn't right about what's about to happen. But just as he's lowering his phone, the door opens and Scott slowly walks out, freezing in the doorway when their eyes immediately meet. 

Stiles wonders if maybe he's wrong. Maybe Scott's heightened hearing doesn't work the same way as he thought, and it just... didn't pick up on any of his and Danny's conversation. 

But then he notices the sheepish, knowing look that crosses his face, and he knows he's screwed. Scott definitely heard at least enough to have a general idea of how the conversation went. Enough to know that Stiles is completely in love with him. 

Neither of them say anything. Scott doesn't move from the bathroom doorway, Stiles stays completely frozen on Scott's bed, and they're both just silent. Stiles doesn't know what to do or say. Sure, he was maybe, possibly, considering the idea of telling Scott. 

But not like this. Not when it's just past one in the morning and they're the only two awake in the house and he technically has no way of leaving. Unless he just goes straight out of the window, and to be honest, he's not really up for that.

The silence and the awkward, uncomfortable tension that's filling the air in the room is far too much for either of them to take. Stiles breaks it first. 

"Okay, so, as much as I don't want to do this," he says sincerely, "I'm guessing we should probably talk about this. Right? I mean, unless you don't want to. Then that's fine with me. We can just... pretend this never happened. I can even leave, if you want me to. I totally get it if that's what yo-" 

"Stiles," Scott says, cutting him off. He says it so softly, so gently, as if he's trying to comfort him. 

Stiles stops, just looking at him as he waits. Whether for Scott to agree that they should talk, or to go with the second option, he isn't sure. Of course, he knows Scott. There's really only one option. 

"I don't want you to leave," he says quietly, confirming it for Stiles as he moves closer. "And I don't think I can pretend I didn't hear anything. Because I did." 

Stiles just nods slowly. He knew it. If Scott doesn't want to just ignore this, then that means he wants to talk about it. And if they do that, things won't be the same. Scott just won't look at him the same, and he'll be forced to try and get over his feelings for him even though he knows it's impossible because he's been trying for years now. This - this is exactly what he was trying to avoid. 

He doesn't voice any of this out loud. He just tries to ignore the stinging at the back of his eyes that he really wishes would stop, and looks up at Scott, now standing in front of him. 

"So... I guess that means we're talking about it?" he asks, just to be sure. 

Scott doesn't give him a proper response, but he does sit down next to him as he nods slightly. It's as close enough to an answer as he seems to be getting.

Stiles turns himself to fully face him, trying to prepare himself for whatever Scott might be about to say. It's strange but he looks just as nervous and terrified and just as much of a mess as Stiles feels, which, he didn't even think possible. 

They just sit there, seconds slowly ticking by as they try to figure out how they're supposed to start this conversation. After all, it's not every day that you find out your best friend is in love with you. And then have to try and figure out a way to let them down easy without completely destroying what remains of your friendship. At least, Stiles is pretty sure that's why it's taking Scott so long to say anything. 

He just watches him as Scott stares down at his hands, a small crease between his eyebrows and head tilted ever so slightly, clearly deep in thought. Then something changes. Stiles can't pinpoint what exactly it is, but Scott seems to be accepting something as he lifts his eyes to meet his gaze. All it does is make him uneasier. 

"Okay," Scott starts, nodding to himself, his eyes a little wide. "Before we talk about what I heard, I think I need to tell you something. It's kind of related to the conversation. Well, it's actually got a lot to do with it, now that I'm thinking about it." 

"Alright," Stiles says somewhat warily.

He has no idea where this is going and honestly, he was kind of just expecting the whole typical 'I know you're in love with me but I just don't feel the same but I want us to still be friends' type of speech from him. But now he's just so confused and also a little bit curious. And terrified, completely and utterly terrified

"So, you know how earlier, at the bowling alley, I asked you if there was something going on between you and Danny?" Stiles just nods and Scott continues. "Well, I was sort of asking because Allison thought you two were together, and when I told her you're not, she was really confused and pointed out that you seemed like you were." 

Stiles stares at him, his eyes narrowing as his confusion only grows. Allison thought he and Danny were together? Do they really flirt with each other that much? Sure, Stiles is aware that they're doing it, and so is Danny, but they both know it's a joke. Although, thinking about it, he can't really blame Allison for thinking they were together since she doesn't really know about any of that. 

But that still doesn't explain where Scott's going with this or what his point is at all. 

"Okay, correct me if I'm wrong," Stiles says, "but so far what I'm getting is that Allison thinking Danny and I were together also made you think we were together? I - I'm lost. You lost me, dude." 

Scott sighs but quickly tries to make it a little less confusing. "What I'm trying to say is that when Allison pointed out how close you and Danny are, I... I started questioning it. And it turns out, Danny and Allison were right." He pauses, chewing on his lower lip for a second, which is way too distracting for Stiles, then adds, "I was jealous."

Stiles blinks. "You-you were jealous?" 

A second later and it fully hits him. His eyebrows go up as he stares at Scott and the slightly bashful, uncertain smile tugging at his lips. 

"Wait, you were jealous?" he repeats. "You were jealous because you thought I was dating Danny? I... What? I am so confused - you said this was related to that conversation we were going to have, and yet, I am seeing nothing that links them together whatsoever." He squints at him. "Are you sure you actually heard the right conversation?" 

Scott rolls his eyes, but his smile doesn't leave his lips. "Of course I'm sure, Stiles. And I was telling the truth when I said this technically has something to do with what we need to talk about." 

"Please, do explain how." 

"Because..." Scott hesitates. Then he sighs. "When we were in the jeep earlier, driving here, I was trying to figure out why the thought of you and Danny being together was bothering me so much. I obviously don't mind if you're into guys." He pauses, his smile returning with a hint of teasing. "Well, I don't mind that you _are_ into guys." 

Heat creeps up Stiles' neck and he just knows his face is slowly tinting pink at Scott's comment. It's not exactly something they've talked about before, and even though Stiles has made it pretty obvious in the past, it still never got brought up. It's just strange to hear Scott say it, especially with that glint in his eyes.

"Anyway," Scott continues. "I might as well just get to the important part. I pretty much ended up thinking about us making out and - well, I, uh - I liked it?" 

"And it's not just that," he quickly adds, as if thinking Stiles will get the wrong idea despite not even giving him a chance to get over the shock of the first part. "I mean, for a while, I've known I have some sort of feelings for you but I just didn't realise what exactly they meant. But, Stiles... I love you." 

Stiles freezes. The words take a second or two to register in his mind. 

"You're... what?" 

Scott just smiles, so wide and bright. "I love you," he repeats. And it's like the realisation is finally hitting him too because his eyes are widening as he quietly says it again. "I love you." He looks up at Stiles, face so bright and filled with happiness and surprise and just so many other things. "Oh my god, I'm in love you. Wow. I'm-" 

"If you're about to say 'I'm in love with you' again, I will punch you in the head." 

But Stiles can't stop himself from smiling either. Scott just looks so adorable and giddy right now, and all because he realised he's in love with Stiles. Oh. He's... _he's in love with Stiles._

"Holy shit," Stiles mutters, his own eyes now widening. 

It hadn't fully sunk in before, but now, it's like a tidal wave just comes crashing into him, dragging along the realisation of what this means. 

"So... do we still need to have that talk?" 

Scott grins, giving a one-shouldered shrug. "Depends. You know how I feel about you. But I only heard part of your conversation with Danny, so..." 

Stiles hums thoughtfully as he tries to bite back a grin and fails miserably. "I don't know, dude. I mean, now that I know you like me, it's not as fun, you know?" 

"Oh shut up," Scott laughs, shoving him lightly. "Stop being an asshole, I'm trying to be serious." 

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Stiles composes himself a little and looks at Scott, trying to keep a straight face. But with everything that's happening and all of the things he's feeling right now, it's proving to be pretty difficult. 

He takes in a deep breath, his heart still racing in his chest. "To put it simply: I love you." His voice quivers the tiniest bit as he says it. He's never really admitted it out loud before, and now, Scott's sitting right in front of him. "Like, I'm in love with you. You already know that, of course. But - I realised I liked you in... fourth grade, I think. The memory's a little hazy now, but I'm pretty sure." 

"Fourth grade?" Scott breathes out, the shock clear in his voice. "Wow. Six years. That's a, uh, that's a pretty long time." He shakes his head, his eyebrows furrowing a little. "How did you-" 

"Manage to keep it a secret from pretty much everyone, including you? And also manage to not completely explode from the pain that it caused me every time you told me about a girl you had a crush on?" 

Scott just nods, chewing on his lip once again, with a look of guilt on his face.

Stiles smiles at him and shrugs. "Because I love you. It just made some things easier, I guess." 

That response clearly wasn't quite what Scott was expecting. But his eyes still sparkle with fondness and his mouth curves up into a soft smile. Stiles notices the way he seems to glance down at his lips, and the hesitation surrounding him.

Despite a part of him telling him he might regret doing it later, when he's actually using his brain and not just acting on every single feeling he has right now, he still considers doing it. He thinks about closing that little gap between them, about kissing Scott. 

But before he can get the chance to move, Scott's the one leaning forward, uncertain and a little afraid and a nervous wreck, but still smiling. The soft press of his lips against his catches Stiles by surprise, making him go still. 

Then he relaxes, eyes fluttering shut as Scott moves a hand up to the side of his face, so gentle. They're both a little nervous and it shows in the kiss that's barely a press of closed-mouths, neither of them wanting to mess anything up. 

They break apart for just a second, and Stiles licks his lips, looking at Scott as his heartbeat pounds in his ears. Then he makes a decision, muttering something along the lines of "screw it" before leaning back in, hands on either side of Scott's face and pulling him closer. 

This time, when their lips meet, there's less hesitation. It's still there and they can both feel it, but it quickly disappears when Stiles presses forward a little more, mouth moving experimentally. It's not like he's never kissed anyone before, but this... this is different. He's kissing Scott. 

And Scott's kissing him back, head tilting just enough that their mouths fit together perfectly. 

Stiles notes in between the buzzing in his mind how soft Scott's lips are, and how utterly perfect this feels. Like this was always meant to happen, they were always meant to be like this together. 

Scott seems to think the same thing as he makes a quiet noise from somewhere in the back of his throat when Stiles experimentally licks across the seam of his mouth, wanting to see what kind of reaction he would get. He grins into the kiss and breaks away a second later, pulling back enough to look at Scott. 

His breath actually catches in his throat at the sight of Scott's kiss-swollen lips, and his eyes that are almost all pupil at this point, only a ring of brown left. He has to swallow before he feels able to talk.

"That was, uh... wow," is all he manages.

Scott nods slowly, stroking his thumb along the back of Stiles' hand that's still on the side of his face. "Yeah," he agrees. 

They're both quiet until something crosses Stiles' mind and his nerves are kicking back in. 

"Hey, so, would now be a bad time to tell you what Allison and I were talking about earlier?" he asks, then quickly continues when Scott's eyes widen. "She actually knew I liked you. And, surprisingly, she told me that if I did - because I was denying it, obviously - she would just stick to her plan or something and that it wouldn't bother her? I'm - I may have gotten some of that wrong, but I just don't want you to feel guilty about this or anything, so-" 

"Stiles," Scott says, cutting him off as a smile tugs at his mouth and he shakes his head slightly. "I don't feel guilty. Because I already know that Allison's okay with it." 

"Oh... well, I guess that makes this less awkward then." Stiles' eyebrows furrow as he looks up at Scott. "Hold on, how exactly do you already know?" 

"That's uh... that's actually what she wanted to talk to me about outside the bowling alley. She somehow figured out how I feel about you, even though I wasn't even sure." 

Stiles' eyes widen. "I knew it! I knew that she was going to say something to you. As soon as she said she wanted to talk to you, I knew that it was going to be something to do with what she had been asking me." He curses but can't stop himself from smiling. "Wait, so, she basically gave us both the same talk about admitting our feelings to each other?"

Scott nods, his amusement evident on his face. "Yeah, I guess she did." 

Stiles huffs out a breath, shaking his head slowly as it sinks in. She knew all along. When she was talking to him, telling him that he should just tell Scott the truth, she knew that Scott liked him. Or at least, she had a suspicion that he did. 

Was that why she was trying so hard to convince him to go bowling with them in the first place, and that it would be fun? Did she know exactly what she was doing or is this all just a giant coincidence? 

"Wow, she's good," Stiles mutters. "Sneaky and a little terrifying, but good." 

Scott can only nod once more as he agrees. "She really is." 

The conversation drifts off after that, settling into a comfortable sort of silence and Stiles becomes aware that they had left the game playing in the background this entire time, the volume barely up. Which is probably why neither of them noticed the fact their characters both got killed, and the words 'You're Dead' have been displayed on the tv screen for the past fifteen minutes. 

He's about to suggest they continue playing, assuming that they're done talking about this now. But Scott jumps in before he can, a question already halfway out of his mouth. 

"So, just to make things clear, are we...?" 

Stiles pauses. He somehow forgot they hadn't discussed this particular part yet. Sure, they just kissed. And it was amazing. And yeah, they both pretty much confessed that they're in love with each other. But Stiles didn't actually realise the full extent to what that might mean. 

"Oh, uh," his eyes widen slightly as he tries to string together an actual sentence, "I mean, do you want us to be?" he asks carefully. "Or were you asking because you don't? I totally get it if that's the case. After all, you and Alliso-" 

"No, definitely not," Scott cuts him off. "I absolutely want you. To be my boyfriend, I want you to be my boyfriend," he quickly corrects himself as Stiles has to bite back a laugh. "God, just stop talking now so that I can kiss you again." 

That's about all the warning Stiles gets before Scott's leaning back in for the third time tonight. He presses forward a little as their lips meet, slowly but surely getting Stiles to lean back until he's completely lying on his back with Scott half-hovering over him. 

Stiles doesn't mind this one bit, especially not when Scott shifts a little to reposition himself, his legs on either side of Stiles and one hand moving to the back of his neck to tilt his head up. Out of everything he was expecting to come out of going bowling, this definitely was not on the list. Not even close. 

A little while later - after Scott's stopped attacking Stiles' neck with light kisses and pausing at certain spots to remind him of how completely in love with him he is while Stiles runs a hand through his hair, his eyes closed - they just lie on the bed together, content to enjoy the quietness.

At some point, they decide to restart the game and pick their controllers back up, despite the feeling of tiredness that's slowly seeping into the both of them. Stiles ends up with his head on Scott's shoulder as he presses random buttons, not too focused on winning as his eyes threaten to close the more he tries to stay awake. 

"Hey, you know what we should do?" he mumbles sleepily to Scott, who's just as close to falling asleep as he is. "We should totally convince everyone to go bowling again, and try to figure out if Jackson likes Danny so we can set them up like he did with us. And we should totally-" he yawns, interrupting himself, "-find out if there's anyone else Allison or Lydia likes, then help them too." 

"That's a terrible idea," Scott says as he blinks to stop his eyes from staying closed. 

Stiles hums quietly. "I know. But we should do it anyway." 

"Definitely," Scott agrees. 

Barely five minutes later and they decide to just go to asleep, discarding their controllers somewhere on the bed and hoping they won't kick them off in their sleep.

Stiles ends up rolling onto his other side, mainly to avoid lying on his sprained wrist, and also because of the way Scott moves closer, pressing against his back and wrapping an arm around him to cuddle closer to him. He reaches his hand out to gently takes Stiles', careful to avoid accidentally hurting his wrist, and rests his hand on top of his before lacing their fingers together.

Stiles tilts his head forward a little as Scott's lips brush the back of his neck, and he makes a quiet noise, his mouth tugging up. "I love you, Scotty," he murmurs. 

"I love you, Stiles," Scott says. 

Within a few minutes, they're both asleep, too tired to keep themselves awake any longer. It's just so perfect and neither of them thought this would ever happen; that they would ever be together the way they are. But now, they wouldn't want it any other way, and they have two people they need to thank for the rest of their lives.


End file.
